How to Fix a Heart
by CelticPrincessx3
Summary: Five and half years ago his best friend made him a promise. It is because of that promise, Roman willingly spent the next five years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Now that he has been released; he can return home - but, what if his best friend did not keep his promise? And what if that has created trouble for everyone he cares about?
1. Chapter 1

an. hey everybody, long time no write. Sorry things have been busy and I have been extremely unispired... but I'm slowly getting my inspiration back so, hopefully, time permitting, I will be updating more. I know I have a few ongoing stories and I am not anbandoning them... this story was just begging to be written and Cristi (xlighersintheair) and I worked really hard planning it. So I think I've waited long enough to write it and she has waited long enough to read it! Hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _When It All Falls Apart...  
_

* * *

 _Bye, Bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry; and them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye singing this'll be the day that I die_

 _This'll be the day that I die!_

"You are God awful, bro." Roman laughed, clutching at his side as his best friend continued to sing – loudly and off-key – along with the radio. "Seriously, man, tone-deaf."

Dean reached over from the driver's seat and punched him in the arm. "What a great friend you are." He laughed, returnig his hand to the steering wheel and turning his gaze back toward the deserted highway.

The duo was returning from a baseball game. They had had a fantastic time, drinking beers and wastching the game. It was there big send-off before Dean left for his three mothing training at the police academy.

"Dude, I'm going to miss this." Dean said.

"Oh c'mon. You're only going to be gone for a few months and you'll be so busy getting your ass handed to you by your instructor it will go by just like that..." Roman snapped his fingers and laaughed.

Dean shot his friend a dirty look, which only encouraged his laughter. They passed an exit sign for a city just before the state line, "About an hour left."

Roman nodded and cranked up the radio, which was now playing Scorpions, _Rock you like a hurricane._

They were both singing along and laughing when the first wail of the siren sounded over the radio. Dean glanced in the review mirror and cursed under his breath as the steady gleam of red, white and blue light filled the car.

He glanced at Roman, then back at the police car in his rearview mirror, then at the road in front of him. "Roman, we're fucked man."

"You probably just have a tail light out. Pull over he'll probably only give you a warning."

"No, we were both drinking at that game... and you _know_ what I have under the seat. What if he searches the car?'

"Pull over. He's not goint to check the car." Roman insisted, a lot less confident now.

Dean sighed and pulled over and cut the engine. He leaned back in the seat and took a deep breath. _If this cop thought for one minute he was drunk he could lose everything he had worked so hard for._

The officer approached the car and Dean rolled down the window. The officer held a flashlight and leaned over by the window, "Evening boys. Do you know how fast you were going?"

'I thought I was going the speet limit." Dean replied, hoping that his breath no longer smelled like the several beers he had drank at the game.

"I clocked you going 70 in a 55." The officeer stated, "Can I see your liscence and registration pleaase."

"Of course," Dean reached into his pocket and got out his wallet while Roman searched the glove box for the registration. Dean turned to the window and handed both over to the officeer, "Here you go."

Dean regretted it as soon as the word exited his mouth. He knew the cop could smell the alcohol on his breath. The cop gave him a knowing look before stepping away from the vehicle.

'Roman we're screwed. He knows." Dean flopped his head back against the seat. "We're so fucking screwed."

Roman raked his figners through his hair. Unsure of how to confort his friend. He glanced through the rearview mirror and watched the officer calling in Dean's information over the radio. Dean was right. The cop had an inkling. The cop got out of his car and was approaching the car again, carrying a machine with a tube and a mouthpiece.

"Dean, promise me something." Roman eyed the cop through the rearview mirror as he approached the car.

"What?" Dean glanced over at his friend, confusion etched across his face.

"Promise me you're gonna quit, that you're not going to get any more." Roman leaned forward and reached under the seat, grabbing the small parcel that sat hidden just behind is feet.

"Roman, what the hell are you doing?' Dean leaned forward, looking equally shocked and irrritated.

"Just promise." Roman said as the cop reached the driver-side window.

"I promise." Dean muttered as the cop ordered them out of the car.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

 **5 & ½ years later**

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

"Has he come to visit you at all." Seth asked, leaning on his elbows. Roman sat across from him, his long hair tied back and his hands cuffed in front of him.

"No, I guess he is angry at me for what I did." Roman shrugged. "I could have ruined his career having those drugs in his car."

"No, I don't think he is angry. Besides, you'll be out soon and I know you're not going to make that mistake again.

"No, you're right. I'm not." Roman muttered, "I've been counting down the days ever since I got here."

"I bet. It will all work out. We'll find you a good job and get you back on your feet, okay?" Seth smiled and, for a moment, Roman smiled too.

"Thanks man."

"No problem. That's what friends are for." Seth had visited Roman every Tuesday and Thursday since his conviction for pocession of a controlled substance. "I'll be here on Friday to pick you up and you can put this behind you, alright?"

Roman forced and smile and nodded, "Yea, I'll see you Friday." Roman and Seth both stood up and Seth waited as Roman was escorted back to the large metal door in the far corner of the room, the guard that oversaw their visit clutching his elbow the entire way.

He nodded goodbye before leading the way back toward the cell block. He didn't have the heart to tell his friend that there was absolutely no way he would ever be able to put this experience behind him.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

"Hey you want anything to eat?" Seth asked, leaning into the car through the driver-side window. He had just finished filling up the undercover patrol car.

Dean looked up from the radio he was fiddling with, attempting to clear up some of the static. "Nah but, I'm gonna hit he head." He said, climbing out of the car.

He followed Seth through the front door of the small convience store, his hands buried in the pockets of his leather jacket.

His eyes shifted from side to side as he scanned the small store before heading to the back where a large sign read: _restrooms._

Seth had turned in the opposite direction, heaading for the hot food and coffee. Dean ducked into the men's bathroom and locked the door. He sighed heavily and leaned over the sink, one hand on each side of the cool porcelain. He gave himself a once over in the mirror and grunted, dismissing his disheveled look. He raked a shaky hand though his already unruly hair before grabbing the small plastic bag out of his pocket.

He dumped the contents on the edge of the sink, lining it up neatly, before leaning forward and inhaling deeply. He stood up and clutched the sink, heart pouding. He breathed in deeply and let out a shaky breath. Slowly his hands stopped shaking and he smirked.

He grabbed the edges of his leather jacket and pulled it forward before dumping the plastic bag in the toilet and flushing it away. All evidence of his little indiscretion gone for good.

He was washing his hands when he heard the first scream, then the sound of his partner's voice echoing though the small building - "Police, drop your weapon."

Dean grabbed his gun out of the holster and reached for the door handle, the sound of gunfire reverberating in his skull. He ran out, ducking behind a display, and looked around the corner, just in time to see a man in a black stocking cap, black hoodie, and jeans run out the front door. He stood up, ready to chase after the perpatrator when a noise to his left caught his attention.

He glanced sideways and cursed. He holstered his weapon and stepped past the ever-growing pool of blood. The clerk reached for the phone with shaking hands and nearly dropped he headset. Dean grabbed the radio out of his pocket, "We need an Ambulece at the quickstop on North and Main. We have an officer down. I repeat, officer down." He dropped his raido and pressed his hands firmly over the wound in his partner's chest. "It's okay, the ambulence is on the way. Just hold on, Seth. Just. Hold. On." He urged.

Seth reached up, grabbing his wrist with one bloodied hand, "Dean - - not going – not going to - make it." He tried to take a deep breath and choked. Blood tricked slowly from his mouth as he breathed. Dean's hands shook as he pressed down on the wound. The blood was hot and sticky and the sound of his friends shallow breaths and gurgles only made his hands shake hearder.

"No." Dean shook his head furiously. "No, you're going to be alright." Dean insisted, some relief settling over him as the ambulence pulled into the parking lot, sirens wailing.

"Tell, Lydia, I love her." Seth whispered, his eyes fluttering shut.

"You can tell her yourself." Dean practically shouted as the EMT's rushed in. The Medic's pushed him aside and fell back, watching as they rushed to stabilize his friend, "You will tell her yourself." he repeated.

* * *

 **an.** well, that is it for chapter one. Poor Seth ='( I really hope you guys enjoyed it! We will meet some more characters next chapter, so stay tuned! :)

 **Cristi** \- this is a little treat until I finish your birthday present. I really hope you like this and it lives up to all of our planning and excitement.

-Danie.


	2. Chapter 2

**an**. Thank you all for the reviews. I have made some changes to the plot but nothing that changed the first chapter. I am rewriting the summary though.

* * *

 **How to Fix A Heart**  
 _Bad News_

* * *

"It should be criminal to be that good-looking." Lydia exclaimed, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth and looking at her roommate.

Ebony nodded her head looking at the two men on the screen, "Just look at him."

"Look at them both. God, it's just not fair." Lydia sat the bowl of popcorn down and paused Netflix when the phone rang. She grabbed the cordless off the cradle, "Hello?"

The panicked voice on the other end of the line got her attention immediately. She scooted to the edge of the couch, unfolding her legs and sitting up straight, "Dean, what's wrong?" Lydia's sudden change in demeanor caught her friend's attention and she too sat up straight.

"Lydia, it's Seth you gotta get to the hospital now." Dean insisted.

"Dean, what's going on you're scaring me." Lydia held the phone with shaking fingers. She tried to concentrate on Dean's word but, it was hard to focus with her heart pounding, the tears that were begging to fall, and the million and one horrible scenarios that were racing through her head.

"He's been shot. It's bad. You need to get here, please. Hurry."

"I- I'll be right there. " She hung up the phone and dropped it as the tears began to fall.

"What's going on? What happened?" Ebony asked, gently stroking her best friend's back in a failed attempt to calm her down.

"Seth, he – he's hurt. I got to go… I – I have to get there." Lydia stood up and raced to the door. She quickly collected her denim jacket, her car keys and her purse.

Ebony was right on her heels. She grabbed her jacket and purse and took the keys from Lydia's shaking hands. "I'll drive." She said, pulling the door open.

Lydia nodded her thanks and followed Ebony out the door.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Dean paced. He was alone in the small waiting room. He had washed his hands but his shirt was caked with dried blood. His hands shook.

 _This was his fault. If he had been out there he would have been able to help his partner._

"Dean, Dean where is he?" the sound of Lydia's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She ran to him, arms outstretched but froze at the sight of him. "Is – is that?" She pointed at his shirt with a shaking finger and Dean cursed himself for not thinking to change his shirt while he waited for her.

"He's in surgery. He's going to be okay. He's a fighter. You know that." Dean tried to sound reassuring.

"What happened?' Ebony asked, she stood behind Lydia, her hands buried in her pockets.

"We stopped to get gas and Seth went into get some food and I went to use the bathroom. There was a robbery. When I came out Seth was down and the perp was already running out the door. I'm so sorry Lydia."

Lydia nodded, her shoulders trembling. She put a hand over her mouth as she cried, the tears rolling down her flushed cheeks.

"I'm going to go get another shirt." Dean gently squeezed Lydia's shoulder as he passed by. With a nod to Ebony, who was now guiding Lydia toward one of the many chairs in the waiting room, he left the room.

The hallways were a stark contrast to the small waiting room, brightly lit and bustling with doctors and nurses moving to and fro. He ducked out the side door and walked over to the undercover car in the parking lot. He grabbed a duffel-bag out of the back. He found a black t-shirt and, shucking off his leather jacket and leaving it on the top of the car – quickly changed his shirt. He threw the bloodied shirt in the trash and put his leather jacket back on before going back inside.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

"Miss Rollins?

Lydia looked up from her spot between Dean and Ebony. Dean was leaning forward, his head in has hands and Ebony sat beside her, holding her hand. "Yes?"

"We were able to stop the bleeding and stabilize your brother…" A nurse with light brown hair and warm brown eyes stood in the doorway,

"So he is going to be okay?" Lydia questioned hopefully.

"We're not sure ma'am. The next few hours will be crucial. While there are no signs of brain damage he has not been responsive after surgery. We will be keeping a close eye on him."

Lydia nodded, "I'd like to go see him, please."

"Of course, just follow me ma'am."

Lydia nodded. Ebony gently squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. Lydia stood up and followed the nurse out of the room.

 _Seth would be okay_ , she told herself. _Seth was strong. He was going to pull through this… he wouldn't leave her on her own._

* * *

 **an.** Okay, I think that is a good place to leave this chapter. The next chapter will be longer

 **Next Chapter** – Roman is released but Seth is not there like he promised, Lydia and Dean talk to Seth.

I hope you all enjoyed this. Reviews, favorites and follows are all lovely and would be greatly appreciated. –Danie.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer –** I don't think I remembered this in any of the chapters but yea, I am in no way affiliated with WWE. I only own the plot (with help from the lovely Cristi) and Lydia Rollins; Cristi created Ebony. So, please don't sue me? I don't make enough money for that.

 **an** – the summary has also been rewritten. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed and added this story to your favorites. I hope you continued to enjoy it.

* * *

 **How To Fix A** **Heart  
** _A Free Man_

* * *

"You're going to be okay." Lydia whispered, taking Seth's hand in hers and holding it gently. She watched the slow moving lines and listened to the steady beat of the heart monitor for a moment. The other side of the room was empty and she was thankful for it. "I can't believe it; seeing you here like this. You've always been the strong one…. You're going to make it through this." Lydia wiped away the tears that began to fall and gently squeezed her brother's hand. _She wondered if he could feel it – wondered if he could hear her._ "Remember the summer after mom and dad died and I was so upset – and you took me to that fair to cheer me up but, I wouldn't ride any of the rides. You finally got me on that stupid tilt-a-whirl and I liked it so much I must have made you ride it half a dozen times." She smiled weakly at the memory. He bought her cotton candy and won her a large stuffed animal. It was his junior year of high school – she had just turned twelve.

Lydia inched her chair closer to the side of the bed and held her brother's hand tightly in both of her own. Seth had raised her; had always taken care of her. He was all that she had. It was so strange to see him lying there looking so weak, so vulnerable. He had always been there for her, her rock, her protector.

"I remember my first date in college – you were so angry." She laughed slightly at the memory, staring down at their hands. He had been furious when she had told him she was going out for pizza and to the drive-in with a classmate. She had never had much interest in boys or had much of a social life. It had been obvious her brother did not like the idea of that changing. He had even done a background check, much to her dismay, saying 'what's the point in being a cop if I can't even check to make sure my sister is safe.' Seth had never really liked change. "Then you followed us to the pizza place and the drive-in to make sure nothing happened."

"Hey, be easy on him. He just wanted to make sure the little creep kept his hands to himself."

Lydia turned her attention toward the doorway where Dean stood, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. He stood up straight and walked into the room. He stood beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. It was a gentle touch for such an intense man and it made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm really sorry, Lydia." Dean said; his gently squeezed her shoulder, his eyes on Seth. She could tell by his somber expression that he meant it.

"Thank you."

"You really should go home and get some rest. Nothing more is going to happen here tonight."

Lydia shook her head, "No, I really want to stay." She looked at Dean, then back at her brother, "I _need_ to stay." She amended.

Dean nodded. "I figured you would feel that way. So I brought you the keys to your car. I'm going to give your friend Ebony a ride home. Call me if you need anything. Okay?"

"Yea, thanks." Dean never spoke much to her. He had been friends with Seth, and their mutual friend Roman; all through junior high and high school. Then after school both Dean and Seth went to the academy and later became partners on the police force.

"I'll come back in in the morning." He sat the keys on the bedside table and left the room.

Lydia pulled a second chair up beside the bed and rested her feet on it. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Please, let him be okay. I _need him_ to be okay." She folded one hand across her stomach, the other still holding onto Seth's.

 _He had always been there for her; now it was time for her to be there for him._

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman followed the two guards down the narrow hallway; ignoring the jeers of other inmates. The guard in front swiped his card through the reader and pulled the door open. He followed the second guard into a small room where a man behind a glass window sat on a swivel stool. Behind him sat hundreds of totes and baskets on shelves.

"We need number 58752's things." The first guard was stocky and bald and had not once glanced at Roman. He stood with his back straight and his jaw set. Roman waited quietly with the two guards, happy that he would, in a few short minutes, be free of this hell once and for all. He had been permitted to change back into his street clothes – a pair of jeans and black t-shirt.

The man behind the glass returned with a basket. He then proceeded to check every item off of a list on the computer before handing them through the glass to the guards. The second guard was tall, thin and blond. His name tag said Brian. He was much younger than the first guard. He took all of the items and put them in a small cloth bag with the prison logo on it.

Once all of the items were in the bag they handed them to Roman. He thanked them quietly. The second guard smiled at him while the first ignored him and ran his card through the next reader.

He followed them down the last hallway and out the door to the parking lot. "If your ride isn't here or doesn't show the public transit has a stop quarter mile up the road." Brian told him. "Good luck and keep out of trouble, Reigns, okay."

Roman chuckled and nodded. "Don't worry. You won't see me again."

The first guard scoffed before leading the way back inside. Roman walked down the narrow drive that led to the road. He was surprised to find no cars at the end. Seth had promised he would be there to pick him up. Figuring he was late with an emergency at work, Roman sat on the only bench outside of the prison. He dropped his bag on the ground beside him and looked up and down the long country road.

He knew prisons should be out of the city but, he was alone in the middle of nowhere.

The moments ticked and slowly turned into half an hour, an hour. Confused and disappointed Roman grabbed his bag. Seth had _never_ forgotten him. He always came when he said he would.

He wondered if something happened at work or with Lydia that kept him from coming. Wishing he had a phone to call and check on his friend he stood up and began to walk down the side of the road. It was only a quarter of a mile to the bus stop – which meant that there had to be a store or a place he could use a phone.

No cars passed him on his journey. He found the bus stop quickly and was pleased to find a small convenience store across the street. He crossed the empty road and entered the store. An older man sat behind the counter, reading a newspaper. Roman walked up to the counter and looked around the store. It was small and had little by the way of merchandise. There were a few cooler doors and two gas pumps in front of the building. Roman looked at the selection of candy and snacks at the counter while he waited for the old man to notice him.

His eyes grazed over the paper. The headline caught his attention immediately.

 _Local Detective shot in attempted convenience store robbery._

Roman's stomach clenched. He grabbed a paper from the caddy. He unfolded it and skimmed the article, a heavy feeling settled in his chest and stomach when he saw it.

 _Detective Seth Rollins was shot while perusing the suspect and remains in critical condition at the local hospital._

Roman dropped the paper back in the caddy and ignored the calls of the clerk, who had finally noticed him. He ran out the door, his bag swung over his arm, just as the bus pulled up at the bust stop.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Lydia woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee and blueberries. She opened her eyes to find Dean sitting on the window sill beside her, a cup of coffee in hand. "Hey there, sunshine, I thought you might be hungry, blueberry bagels are still your favorite right?" He asked holding out the bag and cardboard cup that had been sitting beside him.

"Thanks, Dean." Lydia took a quick glance at her brother before taking the items. She opened the bag and pulled out the bagel. "Nothing happened during the night – that should be a good sign, right?" She looked at Dean, hoping for some reassurance.

"I don't know, it can't be bad though, right? He is hanging in there, obviously." Dean watched her as she unwrapped her bagel and took a bite.

Lydia bit into her bagel and smiled at Dean, "No butter and extra cream cheese. You don't seem the type who would remember how I eat my bagels, Dean."

"C'mon I've known you forever and you're always making Seth bring them home for you. How could I not remember?"

"Well, thank you." She took a sip of the coffee he got her and smiled when she read the lid, Decaf DD. Maybe he was more observant than she thought. She took another bite of her bagel as he jumped down from the window ledge.

"I gotta go in and do some reports about…. everything but, I will stop back in a bit. Go home and get some rest soon, okay." Dean left the room without waiting for a reply.

Lydia ate her bagel and finished her coffee. After throwing away the garbage she went out in the hall to track down a nurse.

"Excuse me." She approached a petite brunette in light pink scrubs.

"Yes?" The woman had warm hazel eyes and her badge said her name was Britany.

"I was just wondering when the doctor would be in to check on my brother and if there was any news or changes in his condition?" Lydia gave the nurse a hopeful glance. "It's Seth Rollins." Lydia added as the nurse approached the nursing station to check the files.

The nurse nodded and sifted through the papers. "The doctor will be in this afternoon and so far there haven't been any changes in his condition. He is still stable."

Lydia nodded; hoping for better news but grateful there was no bad news. "Thank you very much ma'am."

The nurse smiled and nodded, "let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thank you." Lydia turned and walked back to the room. She walked through the open door and froze when she spotted the man sitting in one of the chairs beside her brother.

He looked up at her with grey-blue eyes. His black t-shirt was stretched tight over his muscular arms and his jeans were dirty with dirt and road dust.

"Roman?" Lydia gasped.

* * *

 **an.** and this all for chapter three. I hope you all enjoyed it.


	4. Chapter 4

**an.** First off, I can't even describe how happy I am that you all are enjoying this story. It has kind of become my baby and I just hope it continues to go smoothly and you all continue to enjoy it. Cristi and I did a lot of planning on this story and I just hope it turns out as beautifully as we planned it to. **(disclaimer; I own a lot of cats; but no hunky muscular men.)**

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Confrontations and Confessions_

* * *

"Roman!" Lydia ran into his outstretched arms. "Oh my God; how did you get here?" She stepped back and looked him up and down. "Did you walk?"

Roman nodded, "And took the bus part of the way. I saw what happened to Seth in the newspaper and I got here as quickly as I could. I'm so sorry, Dia."

She smiled at the familiar nickname; "Thanks. The doctors say he is stable and there haven't been any changes in his condition; for better or worse; since last night."

"He will make it through." Roman said with complete certainty and sat down in one of the chairs.

Lydia took the seat beside him and sighed, "Seth was going to pick you up. Roman I am so sorry. With everything that happened. . ."

"Hey, hey now, don't you feel bad. You had more important things going on." He patted her arm gently and smiled, "I've missed you kid."

"I've missed you too. You were always the nice one." Lydia joked. "I shouldn't say that. Dean has been very good to me since all of this happened."

Roman shifted in his seat, leaning back; one hand on his knee and the other on the arm of the chair. "How is Ambrose doing?"

"Still the same crazy jerk he has always been. I'm sure Seth told you they are partners now?"

"Yea he mentioned it on one of his visits." Roman nodded. "Was Dean with him when this happened?"

Lydia nodded. "He tried to catch the guy but, he got away." She looked down at her hands to find them shaking. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes and took a deep breath, willing them to stop.

"They will catch him." Roman reassured her. "He won't get away with this."

Lydia nodded in response, her throat too sore to talk. She closed her eyes as the first tear rolled down her cheek. _She had to be strong,_ _ **for Seth.**_

She looked up when she felt a hand gently rub her back. "It's okay Lydia. Everything will be okay." Roman continued. She found comfort in the tone of his voice and nodded again.

"Thank you." She wiped at her eyes with shaking fingers and reached out and squeezed his hand. "Did you get to talk to Seth before I showed up? I like to think he can hear us and I know he'd be happy to know you are here."

"I did, a bit." Roman nodded.

"How did you get here?" The new voice caused both Roman and Lydia to jump. Dean stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and his gun and badge clearly visible on his belt.

"Seth was supposed to pick me up and when he didn't show I went to the convenience store to call. That's when I saw what happened in the paper and I came here as quickly as I could."

"I didn't realize you were getting released today." Dean seemed more put-out than pleased with the information. He crossed the room and jumped up on the window sill.

"Don't sound so enthused that one of your two best friends is finally back, Dean." Lydia looked at him, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. _What had happened to the Dean who had been so kind to her just a few hours earlier?_

"We haven't talked in five years; I highly call that best friend material."

"Maybe I should just go. I really just wanted to see Seth and make sure you were okay." Roman stood up. "I need to meet with my new parole officer to set everything up anyway."

Lydia shot Dean a dirty look, which he countered with a slight tilt of the head and a cheeky grin. "You don't have to go Roman. You're Seth's friend and he would want you here."

"I'll come back another time. I promise."

"Then at least let me give you a ride wherever you need to go. I have to run home real quick anyway." Lydia looked at Dean as she grabbed her purse off of the bedside table, "Will you please stay until I get back."

"You got it, babe." Dean hopped down off of the ledge and smiled. He pushed past Roman and sat down in the seat he had just been occupying. "See ya later, big guy."

"Yea, see ya later, Dean." Roman shook his head and followed Lydia out of the room.

* * *

-x-x-x-

* * *

Roman sat alone in the waiting room. Lydia had dropped him off at his mother's house – where all of his stuff had been stored while he was in prison – so he could change before his meeting. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clutched tightly together. He closed his eyes and took a few slow, calming breaths.

 _You made it through jail. Parole will be the easy part._ He reminded himself. He looked up at the sound of high heels clicking on the oak floors. "Mr. Reigns?" She had long, wavy black hair and rich chocolate colored skin. She wore a cream suit with black accents and black heels. She carried a manila envelope and smiled at him.

"Yes ma'am." He stood up and she motioned for him to follow her. He followed behind glancing at the decoration and art work on the walls as he passed. She led him into a small office. She took a seat behind a well-organized desk and motioned to the chair across from her, "Please, have a seat."

He nodded and sat down in the chair closest to the door.

"I will be your new parole officer. My name is Ebony Davis. I will be checking in with you regularly to make sure that you are following the rules of your parole."

Roman nodded again, "I understand."

"Good. So now we will go over the rules of your parole." She opened up the manila folder and removed 2 sheets of paper. She handed him one and kept one for herself. "First, you are to remain in your drug therapy program throughout the duration of the parole. You are not permitted to drink alcohol or use any type of drug and you will be subject to regular drug testing. We must be notified of any prescription medications you may receive from a doctor, if you receive any, just in case they affect the drug testing. You are not permitted to own or be in procession of a firearm. You are to keep a regular work schedule – we will help you find a job now that you have been released – and you are too meet with me once a week. I will also do random home visits. If you change your address you must notify me so I will know where to find you. Do you understand, Mr. Reigns."

Roman read over the paper. Nothing on it seemed like it would be a problem for him. "Yes, Ms. Davis I understand."

"Good. Any infraction could result in the revocation of your parole."

"I am aware of that, ma'am."

"Perfect – if you could just sign there" She pointed at the line on the bottom of the page before handing him a black ball point pen. He signed the sheet and handed them both back to her.

"Are Tuesday afternoons at three a good time for you to meet with me?"

"That will be fine."

"Wonderful. We also found some positions that are hiring. Maybe you can find something you would like to apply for." Ebony typed a few words into her computer and hit a button on the keyboard that brought the printer to life. She walked across the room and handed him the list of places that were hiring.

"Thank. I appreciate all your help." Roman took the paper and smiled. He was surprised when she returned the smile and nodded.

"I have the feeling you are not going to give me any trouble, Mr. Reigns."

"No ma'am."

"Good. I like that. I will see you on Tuesday afternoon. Call if you need to reschedule."

"Yes. Thank you." Roman got up and left the chair. Once he reached the elevator he took a deep breath and raked his fingers through his curly black hair. He would find a job, survive the 8 months of parole, and then he would never have to look back on this part of his life again. He would **finally** be able to move on.

* * *

-x-x-x-

* * *

Dean scooted the chair closer to the bed and leaned over his friend. "You better be listening to me." He said, "Because I have a lot to say." Dean leaned back in his chair and tilted his head toward the ceiling. "I screwed up big time buddy. I made a promise and I didn't keep it and now everything is fucked up. I'm the reason you ended up like this. If I had just quit using. . ." Dean stood up quickly, sending the chair toppling over, and drug his fingers through his shaggy hair. "If I had just done what I said I was going to do. I would not have been in the bathroom getting high while you were out there doing the job alone. I wasn't there for you."

Dean paced back and forth. _This was all his all his fault. His partner; his best friend; could_ _ **die**_ _because of him. How could he let this happen?_

Dean rushed over to the bathroom and closed and locked the door. He leaned forward with this hands on the sink and his head bowed. _He needed it. He had to have it._

He was miserable. He was numb. The only thing he felt was agitation.

Dean dug his hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the tiny bag of white powder. He looked at it in his hands. _He needed to stop. This had ruined everything._

 _But he needed it. He needed it more than he had ever needed anything else._

The sound of footsteps outside the bathroom door brought him back to reality. He quickly shoved the baggy back into his pocket and exited the bathroom. A blonde nurse was checking Seth's vitals. She smiled at him when he sat down. He forced a smile and nodded when she left the room.

Dean sat on the edge of the bed beside Seth, "Now you listen to me asshole. You are going to wake up. You don't have any other choice because if you die I'm going to kill you."

* * *

 **an.** I think I am going to leave it right there for this chapter. I hope you guys all enjoyed it. Hopefully chapter five will be up soon. –Danie


	5. Chapter 5

**[an]** thank you guys for all of the reviews. We will delve further into Dean's psyche over the next couple of chapters… things are only going to get more intense…. I promise. (Disclaimer- yada, yada, yada. Fangirl)

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Just When it was Looking Brighter  
_

* * *

Lydia took Roman to his mother's house to change; then dropped him off to meet with his new parole officer. After making sure he was indeed at the right place she ran home, quickly showered and changed into jeans and light grey sweat shirt. Ebony had already left for work. She fed the cat and dog, checked her messages, and then grabbed her purse and left for the hospital.

When she got back to Seth's room she found Dean leaning back in one of the chairs, his feet propped up on the windowsill. He leaned back and looked at her, "Good you're back. This place is giving me the creeps." Dean put his feet down and got up quickly, turning to face her. He paused when his eyes met hers.

"How could you act that way? Roman is your friend and you treated him like garbage. . . " Dean rubbed at the back of his neck and opened his mouth to speak, "No, I'm not finished yet." Seth had mentioned to her that Dean never visited Roman; that he never even talked about him. She knew that what Roman did was wrong but to completely cut him out of his life? It wasn't really her business but, the way Dean had treated Roman earlier had rubbed her the wrong way. She looked at him arms crossed. His mouth remained hanging open, shocked, as she continued. "He made a mistake… Like you have never made a mistake Ambrose? You know Seth went and visited him every week for five and half years…. How often did you go and see him?"

In an instant his expression changed. His mouth snapped shut and his eyes flashed dangerously. Lydia took a step back, suddenly feeling rather nervous. "Don't talk about something you know nothing about. What goes on between Roman and me is my business, not yours; so stay the fuck out of it!" He stormed out, bumping into her, without turning to look back.

Lydia rubbed her shoulder lightly and sighed. Dean was a lot of things, cocky, sarcastic, maybe a little crazy – but he was not cruel like had been acting all day.

 _What was going on with him?_

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Detective Stephen Farrelly sat down across from the chief of police, an older man with salt and pepper hair and warm brown eyes. "What can I do for ya, sir?" Stephen asked.

The police chief grabbed a file out of the top drawer of his desk and handed it to him. "I need you to investigate my detective. I have reason to believe he may be involved in some illegal activity and I would like to handle this as quickly and quietly as possible."

"And what exactly am I looking for?" Stephen asked as he flipped through the file. The detective seemed to have an exemplary file and he was curious as to _what_ the chief suspected his officer of doing.

"I have reason to believe that Detective Ambrose has been buying Cocaine – either for personal use or to distribute. We have a report from a reliable CI. We would like to get this handled as quickly as possible." The Chief emphasized.

"I will report back to you shortly." Stephen tucked the manila envelope into his leather briefcase, stood, and shook he chief's hand before exiting the office.

It had been a tough decision to switch over from Homicide to Internal Affairs. He knew the type of reputation IA officers had but, one could only see so much brutality and hate before enough was enough.

Stephen ignored the mixture of nervous glances and intense glares as he exited he police station. He found his car in the lot and slid into the driver's seat.

He hoped that, if Detective Ambrose was doing what the Chief suspected, that he caught him quickly. He hated the idea of any cop getting away with breaking the law.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Ebony locked up her office, glad to have another day's work complete, and headed for the elevator. The office was now completely empty but she was used to that. She often worked long hours and was the last one to leave. She decided she would stop by the house, let the dog out, change and then head for the hospital.

It was a short drive back to the townhouse she shared with Lydia. She pulled into the garage and got out of the car. She didn't bother closing the door, she would be leaving soon anyways and it was a safe neighborhood.

She went in through the kitchen to find Smokey, their Lab-husky mix, waiting for her. He danced around her legs and she stooped down to pet his ears. She let him out the backdoor into the small, private fenced in back yard. She ran up to her room and grabbed a pair of jeans and simple black top. She changed quickly and slipped on her favorite sandals.

When she went back down stairs Smokey was at the backdoor waiting to be let in. She closed and locked the back door and gave the dog a biscuit. He licked her hands appreciatively then ran off into the living room to eat his treat.

Noticing the note Lydia left saying she feed the animals in the afternoon she decided to feed them after the trip to the hospital.

She grabbed her keys and purse, deciding she would pick up some dinner for herself and Lydia on the way.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Lydia leaned back in the chair and watched Seth. There had been no changes in his condition. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that he would wake up and be okay. The doctor had come in an hour before and talked to her about Seth's condition. He had been shot three times and one bullet was lodged between his vertebrae, the second narrowly missed his heart and the third had pierced one of his lungs. They had removed two of the bullets and fragments of the third.

The scariest part of the entire conversation was when the doctor looked at her and said 'if he wakes up; he might be paralyzed from the waist down."

 ** _If_** _he wakes up_ ; **if** was **not** an option, he **_had_** to wake up. They could deal with any obstacle as long as he would just pull through.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a gentle knock at the door. She turned to find a girl carrying a flower arrangement at the door. "Hi, is this a bad time?" She was quiet; her black hair was tied up in a messy bun and she wore a black tank top and a flowy red skirt with boots. "I'm Caroline. You must be Lydia."

"Yes, I'm Lydia. You must know my brother?"

"I work with him at the station… I work IT."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too." Caroline smiled and walked over to the bed. She sat the large arrangement of flowers on the bedside table. "I know your brother isn't really the flowers type of guy but, I thought they might cheer him up."

"I'm sure he will love him when he wakes up. Do you work with my brother a lot?"

"Occasionally. I do a lot of searches and generate some age composite photos for him from time to time… but he always talks to me when I see him. He's a good man."

"Yea, he is. I'm glad you came to see him, Caroline."

The other girl nodded, her eyes grazed over Seth's motionless figure on the bed. Lydia knew the look in her eyes – it was a mixture of adoration and concern. She was worried about him and she cared for him.

"I can give you a minute to talk to him – if you'd like. I was just going to get a drink." Lydia grabbed her purse and made her way out of the room. She went to the soda machine down the hall and inserted the necessary amount of change. She selected a bottled water and grabbed it out of the dispenser just as the elevator doors opened and Ebony stepped out.

"Hey, how is he doing?" Ebony asked. She was carrying several bags from the local diner and a cup carrier with three large drinks in it.

"The same." Lydia took a few of the bags, "Did you buy enough food?"

"Well I didn't know if Dean was here or not. I didn't want to show up with food for us but not for him."

"Well he was here but he left. I pissed him off."

"I have the feeling that doesn't take much." Ebony and Lydia had been roommates for about two years and while Ebony was close with both Lydia and Seth she had not spent nearly as much time with Dean. She knew him from times she would visit Seth with Lydia at Seth's house or from Seth and Lydia talking about him.

"He can be a jackass but he's not that bad. Trust me. I've known him forever – or at least it seems that way – and he is all talk."

Ebony nodded, "So what did you do to make him angry?"

"Well, Seth and Dean have been best-friends forever, you know that, well they had another friend growing up but he got arrested. He was just released and he came to see Seth and Dean was really rude to him so I pretty much asked him what his problem was and he went spastic. He'll get over it." Lydia led the way back to the

Ebony nodded. "It was nice of your brother's friend to check in on him. Were they close?"

"Very. The three guys were inseparable in high school. It's like I had three brothers instead of one… to be honest. Roman is a sweetheart. I was actually really surprised when he got arrested."

Ebony stopped and looked at Lydia, "Roman?" _She could not be talking about Roman Reigns, her new parolee?_

"Yea, you'll have to meet him sometime. I think you guys would get along great. He's way more relaxed than Dean."

"Yea, We'll have to do that." Ebony smiled slightly and followed her friend into the room. Caroline was still there, she had sat down in one of the seats.

"Thank you for letting me stay for a few moments." Caroline stood up. "I hope your brother gets better soon. I miss seeing him at the precinct."

Lydia nodded, "You can come see him anytime. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you."

Caroline smiled, "Thank you. I probably will be back." With that she turned and left the room.

"Who was she?" Ebony sat the bags on the window sill and began getting out all of the containers. "I got you a taco salad." She held out the container.

"Thanks." Lydia took it and popped it open. "She works with Seth – she does computer stuff for the police. I think she likes him. You should have seen the way she was looking at him."

"Does that bother you?"

"No, why would it? I want Seth to be happy and she seems nice enough. When he wakes up I'll have to drop some hints."

"I wonder what she said to him while you were gone." Ebony sat down in one of the chairs and opened up a container with a burger in it. "Are you staying here again tonight?"

"Don't know. Probably. I want to be here when he wakes up." Lydia took a bite of her salad. "Thanks for dinner."

"No problem." The duo ate in comfortable silence. After throwing away the empty containers Ebony packed up the remainder of the food. They talked with the nurse who came in to check Seth's vitals. Ebony then said goodnight, gave her friend a quick hug, and left for home.

Lydia opened the water she had gotten earlier, she had opted to drink the ice tea that Ebony had picked up with her dinner first, and twisted off the lid. She took a sip then sat down beside Seth.

"Hey, can I come in?" Dean stood in the doorway.

"Depends are you going to freak out again?"

"Sorry about that. I shouldn't have been such a jerk. I shouldn't be causing tension at a time like this."

He looked tired, his arms were crossed tightly over his chest, and he was leaning on the doorjamb.

"It's okay. I should have minded my own business too."

"So we good?" Dean questioned, standing up straight.

"Yea, we're good." Lydia smiled and motioned to the chair next to her. Dean was hallway to the seat when it happened.

Seth's body shook and the steady beat of the heart monitor became erratic and thunderous. Lydia jumped to her feet just as the nurses dashed into the room. The final nurse wheeled in a large cart of equipment.

"What's the matter? What's happening?" Lydia cried as the nurses and a doctor surrounded the bed, yelling commands and grabbing equipment.

"You need to stand back." One nurse yelled over the commotion.

White hot tears rolled down her cheeks as heavy arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her to the back of the room. The long, continuous beep that followed echoed through the room. Lydia tried to fight Dean's grip but he was far too strong for her. He pulled her back and tangled his fingers in her hair pulling her into his chest. "They are the only ones who can help him right now. You don't need to see this." Dean whispered. The first zap of the Defibulator caused her to jump and she gave up the fight and sank into his embrace.

* * *

 **[an].** yea I am going to stop right there for now. I hope you guys are still reading and enjoying this. I also hope you enjoyed this chapter…

 _What do you think is going to happen with Seth? What will happen with Dean and Lydia? What will happen with Roman and Ebony? Will Lydia find out she is his new parole officer?_

You'll have to stick around to find out. : )

Reviews are always appreciated as are follows and favorites. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story!

-Danie


	6. Chapter 6

**an.** thanks for all the **awesome** reviews on the last chapter guys. I am really glad you guys are enjoying this story. I hope it continues to interest you all. **[Disclaimed]**

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Have a Little Faith_

* * *

 _Beeeeeeeeeep._

Dean clutched Lydia to him, gripping her head firmly to his chest, shielding her from the sight of the doctors and nurses attempting to revive her brother. He could hear her sobs and feel her body shake against his. He buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes and as he did so, he found himself doing something he hadn't done in a very long time. _Praying._

This was his fault, his mess. Seth did not deserve to die. He was pleading, _begging_ , for someone to listen.

Time seemed to stand still. There was the never ending beep. The thud of Seth's lifeless body as the shock from the defibulator surged through him; the mixture of voices and the clang of equipment.

Seth was going to be okay. He had to be okay. He _needed_ to make this right. He needed to _apologize_.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

Dean's grip on her lessened and she slowly turned to face the bed. The lines on the heat monitor were moving again, slowly and rhythmically as the doctors and nurses slowly stepped away from the bed. She felt weak and sank to her knees as she gasped for breath around her heavy sobs.

She felt Dean's hands on her shoulders but, she found that she didn't have the energy to shrug them away. She let his hands slip under her arms and allowed him pull her up. He guided her to the seat beside the bed and she sat down. She reached out and took her brother's hand in her own.

"It's okay. He's okay." Dean's voice was hoarse. She could only nod, throat too sore to speak. "I'm going to call Roman." He touched her arm gently before going out into the hall.

Lydia wiped her tears away with her free hand. She clutched Seth's hand tightly in her own. Afraid of what might happen if she were to let go.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman lay awake in his old room. He hadn't seen it since the summer before college started. It was exactly the same as he remembered. It was clear his mother hadn't changed a thing.

He lay, stretched out across the bed, his arms tucked behind his head and his legs crossed. It felt strange, still living in his parents' house when he was in his twenties but, it was also so good to be home. It was safe, comforting _, secure_.

He had a job interview with a construction company in the morning. He knew it was unlikely he would get the first job he interviewed for… especially when he had a criminal record but, he still hoped for the best. He glanced at the clock, 10:00 pm. He should really call it a night. He had to get up early, the interview was at 8.

"Roman! You have a phone call." His mother yelled from downstairs.

Who would be calling him at this time? No business would set up interviews at 10 at night.

He got up and made his way downstairs. He thanked his mom when she handed him the phone, "Hello?"

"Roman – It's Dean."

"Dean?" Roman couldn't hide his surprise. After the way Dean had acted when he had went to visit Seth at the hospital, he was the last person Roman expected to get a phone call from. "What's up?"

"It's Seth. He – well – he." It was obvious Dean was searching for the right thing to say.

Roman's heart sank. Was Seth dead?

"Dean – did he?" Roman found that he couldn't say it either.

"They were able to revive him but, I don't know what that means for him. Lydia is a wreck. I have to get back in there with her but, I thought I should call and let you know."

Roman did not get the chance to respond. Dean had already hung up. Roman sighed and turned off the phone and returned it to the cradle. He ran upstairs to change before going to the kitchen through the back stair well, "Mom – I have to go. I'll be back soon!"

He grabbed his jacket and the car keys sitting on the stand and left for the hospital.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Dean slipped into the empty bathroom and closed and locked the door. He raked his fingers through his shaggy hair. He stared into the mirror and found himself disgusted with the man he saw looking back at him. He was a mess. His eyes were dark and puffy. It appeared as though he hadn't slept in weeks. He cracked his neck and clutched the sink, bouncing his foot up and down. He couldn't do it, not now. He shouldn't, it wasn't right.

But he _needed_ it.

He yanked the little plastic baggy out of his pocket and dumped the contents onto the edge of the sink. He lined the smile pile of white powder up neatly and, leaning forward, inhaled it. He clutched the sink as the high hit, a wave of relief mixed with a surge of energy. He stuck the baggy back into his pocket before exiting the bathroom.

He walked down the hallway and into Seth's room where Lydia sat beside him, holding his hand. He sat beside her in an empty chair. "Do you want me to call Ebony?

"I already did, while you were calling Roman. She is going to come by before work in the morning." Lydia said. "She wanted to come tonight but, I told her to stay home. Someone needs to take care of Smokey and Celeste and she has to work tomorrow." Lydia's voice sounded hollow. She never took her eyes off of her brother as she spoke.

Dean nodded, even though he knew she wasn't looking at him. "Okay." He didn't know what else to say. _He didn't know how to help her_.

 _If it wasn't for him she wouldn't even be in this mess._

Did he even _deserve_ to be here with her, when her brother might not have been shot if he hadn't rushed off to the bathroom to snort some cocaine?

"I'm sorry." The words slipped out. "I'm sorry he is here. If I had just been there…."

"No Dean. This isn't your fault. Things happen for a reason. He will be okay. I believe it. I have faith."

They sat in silence for several moments, Lydia watching the rise and fall of the monitor and Dean staring at his hands which were clutched tightly in his lap. He bounced his knee up and down anxiously.

A nurse entered the room, "The doctor is ordering a CAT-scan." She informed them as she began to unplug the monitor. She raised the bars on the side of the bed. "It won't be long." She promised as she wheeled him out of the room.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

The only sound in the room was the rhythmic ticking of the clock. Lydia remained in her chair as Dean paced the small room, his eyes on the title floor.

"What's going on?" Dean and Lydia both looked up as Roman walked through the door. "Where is he?" Roman asked, concerned.

"They took him for a CAT scan."

"They said it won't take too long. That was almost an hour ago." Dean added. He continued to pace.

"I'm sure everything is okay." Roman turned to Lydia. "I got here as quickly as I could."

"Thanks for coming."

"There was no way I wasn't going to be here for you guys." Roman crossed the room and leaned against the window ledge.

The silence returned.

After a moment Lydia stood up. "I'm going to go see what is going on and if they know anything." Lydia said as walked out of the room.

Dean did not look at Roman, he continued to pace, wringing his hands and muttering to himself.

"You have _got_ be kidding me."

Dean stopped and looked at Roman and Roman sighed. "What?"

"Dude, you _promised."_ Roman moved closer to him, pushing his back against the wall. He clutched Dean's jacket in one fist as he stared into his eyes. Pupils dilated, averting his gaze. It was _obvious_ and for a moment he wondered how no one else noticed. "Did you even try?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dean attempted to push him away but Roman flattened his hand against his chest, pinning him to the wall.

"I never said anything when we were younger because I knew you had it rough. I looked out for you but, _now_. . . now you got it good and you're going to fuck it all up."

Dean shoved Roman's hand away and leaned in closer to Roman, his face only inches away from his. "Maybe I should just arrest you right now for assaulting a police officer. That's a felony charge, you know. Maybe you're missing your little friends at the penn. How was it Roman? A big tough guy like you –"

Roman cut him off, shaking his head and chuckling slightly. "You know what, Ambrose. You are nothing but a low-life scumbag who thinks he is something special because he has a badge." Dean opened his mouth to speak but once again Roman cut him off. "I gave up _five and half years_ of my life for you and for what? I only asked that you help yourself out and you couldn't even do that. You can't even take care of yourself how are you supposed to be able to help anybody else?"

The two men stood, glowering at each other, Dean clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Boys, what's going on?"

Both Dean and Roman turned to look at Lydia. Dean's expression softened as he shoved Roman out of the way. "It's nothing. I'm going to go get us all some coffee." He shot Roman one last dirty look before walking out of the room.

"It's just been a long day, you know. With everything going on." Roman rubbed the back of his neck, "Any news from the doctors?"

"They are almost done with the CAT scan. I guess it took longer than normal because they had to move him themselves."

"He'll be okay. They'll figure out what is wrong and everything will be okay." It wasn't easy to be reassuring in that type of a situation but, Roman knew he had to try.

"Thanks Roman and thank you for coming here."

Roman nodded, "You know I'm always going to be here for Seth – and you – Seth was there for me when no one else was."

"Dean will settle down. You know how he is under stress. He gets a little crazy but, he means well."

"Yea – I'm sure he does." Roman forced a smile. He walked over and pulled Lydia into a tight hug. "I have to go. I have an interview in the morning but I will come over right after, okay?"

"Thanks Roman. Good luck."

"Thanks. I think I'm going to need it. Call me if anything changes, okay?"

"I will." She smiled weakly at him before he left the room. She crossed the room and sank into one of the empty chairs, completely exhausted.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

They brought Seth back in ten minutes later. "Is everything okay?" Lydia asked as the nurse began to reconnect and plug in all of the wires to the heart monitor.

"He didn't suffer any brain damage. We have sent the CT scans to a specialist and we should hear more in the morning. For now he is stable. Is there anything I can get for you?"

Lydia shook her head, annoyed with the lack of answers. The nurse left the room. Lydia sighed, "You gotta be okay, _for me_. Okay?"

"He's going to be okay." Dean had returned, with coffee as promised. "Did Roman leave?"

"Yea, he has an interview in the morning. He is stopping by after."

Dean nodded and handed her one of the cups. "I grabbed you a tea, figured you'd like that better."

"Thanks." She took the cup and opened it. She took a sip of the hot liquid and smiled. "I appreciate it, Dean."

"No problem. Just relax. You look beat."

"I am exhausted." Lydia agreed, taking another sip of her tea.

"What did they say?"

"Nothing really, we will know more in the morning."

"Then you should get some rest." Dean suggested as he drank his coffee. He jumped up on the window ledge and sat the extra coffee beside him.

Lydia shook her head. "I'm afraid to. What if –"

"Hey, nothing is going to happen, okay."

"You don't know that."

"No but you told me earlier that you believe he is going to be okay. Besides if anything does happen – you're right here. You'll know."

Lydia sighed, "I'm just worried about him."

"I know you are but, you aren't going to be any good to him when he wakes up if you are exhausted."

Lydia turned to look at him and smiled. "When?"

"I know you Lydia, you've got good instincts and I know Seth, he's a fighter. There's no way he's not battling out of this."

"Thanks, Dean." Lydia leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on the other and continued to drink her tea. The duo remained in comfortable silence for several minutes before Dean jumped down off the window ledge.

"I'm going to hit vending machine, you want any –" He walked over to Lydia to find her sleeping, head tilted back, still clutching her nearly empty tea cup. He chuckled quietly and carefully pulled the cup from her hand and put it on the bedside table.

He walked around the bed and stood over Seth. "You got to pull through this buddy. She needs you. We all do."

* * *

 **an.** so what do you think is going to happen now that Roman knows? Is he going to tell Lyida? Is Seth going to wake up? What will Seth do when he wakes up, will he remember Dean's confession? Stick around to find out.

I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. I hope you guys all enjoyed this update. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**an**. Thank you for all of the reviews on the last chapter! I am glad everyone is enjoying this story. I am going to try to get the ball really rolling over the next couple of chapters. I thought about what I wanted to do with this chapter for quite a while and I hope I have made the right decision with how to move the story forward. I hope it is realistic and tasteful. So yea, I hope you all enjoy it. ( **Disclaimer** – I still have a day job.)

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Two Steps Forward_

* * *

Lydia woke up the next morning to the steady beat of the heart monitor. She looked over at her brother before sitting up and stretching. She glanced at her watch, 6 am. She stood up and smiled when she noticed the man stretched out across the windowsill.

She had expected Dean to go home and get some sleep. He most likely had to work the morning or afternoon shift. She quietly made her way to the bathroom then out to the nurse's station, careful not to wake up him up.

Britany, the same brunette nurse she had talked with before, smiled as she approached. "Is there something I can get for you, Miss Rollins?"

"I was just wondering if there was any update on my brother."

"The doctor will be here shortly to talk to you. As of right now your brother is still stable."

"You can't tell me anything more."

"Just that he is suffering from a very severe infection from the bullet fragments."

Lydia sighed and nodded, "Thank you."

"I'll be here if you need anything."

Lydia thanked the nurse before returning to her brother's room. Dean had woken up in her absence and was now sitting upright on the windowsill, leaning back against the large panes. He smiled at her when she walked in, "any news?"

"He has some kind of infection. The doctor will be here soon to talk to me about it."

"Okay. I can go get us something to eat." Dean hopped off the windowsill.

"No need, I got it covered." Ebony entered the room, already dressed for work in a chocolate colored pant suit and heels. She handed them both Styrofoam containers from a large plastic bag. "Hope it's alright."

"It's great. Thanks Eby." Lydia opened her container and took a bite of the pancakes inside.

"How is he doing?" Ebony asked. She took the empty seat beside Lydia and drank her coffee as Dean and Lydia ate their food.

"He is stable. The doctor should be here any time now to talk with me. The nurse says he has a really bad infection from the bullets."

Ebony nodded. "He'll be okay. He is strong."

"Thanks. Aren't you going to eat?"

"No. I already ate. I have a meeting I have to get to at the courthouse but, I wanted to check on Seth and make sure you were okay first."

"I appreciate that. I'll text you after the doctor leaves."

"Thank you." Ebony stood up and gave her friend a quick hug, "I'll stop in after work."

"Okay."

"See you later, Dean." Ebony smiled and walked toward the door.

"See ya and thanks for the breakfast." Dean called after her.

Ebony waved in response as she walked out the door and disappeared down the hallway.

Lydia and Dean ate their breakfasts in silence and then threw away the empty containers. "Thanks for staying."

Dean just nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck and shoulder, "I'm here for you."

Lydia smiled in response and returned to her seat beside Seth, "I just hope he wakes up soon."

"Me too."

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

When Roman left his interview the next morning, He knew that there was absolutely no way he was going to get the job. As soon as the construction manager had mentioned the need to do a background check, before they could move to the next stage of the interview process he knew, deep down, that he would not receive the call for the second interview.

It was disappointing but, he knew he could not let it deter him. He had another interview in two hours. He knew he couldn't go straight to the next interview so he decided to stop by the hospital and check in on Seth and Lydia first.

The brunette was alone when he arrived. She was sitting next to her brother, holding his hand.

"Hey, Dia; how is he doing?"

Lydia looked up at him as he entered the room. He sat down in the empty chair beside her. "The doctor says he has meningitis. He says it happens sometimes with bullets and bullet fragments that are lodged in the neck and spine but, it's rare. He had a seizure. They said there was no brain damage though, which is good, and now they know so they put him on steroids and antibiotics."

"At least they know what is going on and they can help him." Lydia nodded and Roman gently patted her harm. "He's going to wake up soon."

"Thanks Roman. How did your interview go?"

Roman shrugged, "Not too bad. They are going to call me for a second interview if they are interested." He decided not to tell her that he already knew he was not going to get a second phone call.

"That's good. I hope you get it."

"Thanks."

She nodded.

There was gentle knock on the door and they both looked up. A tall, muscular man, with red hair in a gray suit, stood in the doorway. "I'm sorry to bother you Miss Rollins. I know this is a bad time but, I was wondering if I could have a word with you." He had a thick accent. He flashed a shiny badge and smiled politely.

Lydia nodded and the detective stepped inside. 'I'm Detective Stephen Farrelly." He held out his hand.

She shook his outstretched, "It's nice to meet you, Detective." She motioned to Roman, "this is Roman; he is a friend of the family." Stephen nodded politely to Roman before pulling out a small notebook from the breast pocket of his suit jacket. "Do you have any leads on the man who shot my brother?"

"I wish I had information to give you about that case, ma'am. Unfortunately, that is not the reason I am here. I actually have a few questions for you?"

"Questions, questions about what? You don't think I've done something, do you?"

The defective chuckled and shook his head. "No ma'am. I am not here to investigate you. You see. I am an IA officer. I need to ask you a few questions –"

"Internal Affairs? Seriously? You better not be here to ask me questions about my brother he is a good –"

Stephen held up a hand to silence her. "Miss Rollins. I assure you, I am not here about your brother."

"Then why are you here, detective?"

"I would like to ask you a few questions about Detective Ambrose."

Lydia glanced at Roman who shrugged, looking just as confused as she felt. "I'm sorry. There must be some mistake. Dean would never do anything. . ."

"I'm not accusing him of anything. I am just doing my job. Can you tell me if he has been acting strange lately?"

Lydia shrugged, "Honestly, detective. With everything that has happened. . . I would think it would be weird he wasn't acting differently. His partner just got shot."

Stephen nodded, "Yes of course. I don't mean to be insensitive."

Lydia nodded, "He has been fine. He had been very supportive and has been helping me out."

"What about you, you know the detective?"

Roman nodded, "But I am afraid I can't be much help sir. I've only recently returned to town."

Stephen nodded his understanding, "Okay. Thank you. Miss Rollins, do you think that Detective Ambrose could be using a controlled substance?"

Lydia stared at him in disbelief, "You have got to be _kidding_ me. Dean has spent all of his life wanting to do this – to help people. There is _no_ way that he would do anything to jeopardize that. "

"What about you? " Stephen turned to Roman.

Roman shifted in his seat and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm sorry detective. I have to agree with Lydia, that doesn't sound like Dean to me."

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

 **3 Days Later**

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Ebony sat across from her newest client. His dark curls were pulled back and he wore jeans and a light blue button down. So _this_ was Seth's good friend Roman. "How is everything going, Mr. Reigns? Are you attending your meetings? Have you had any interviews?"

Roman sighed, "I've had quite a few interviews but I haven't gotten any call backs." He seemed genuinely disappointed, a reaction which surprised her. Many of her clients couldn't care less if they had a job or not.

"It's okay. I am sure you will find something soon." She assured him as she made a note on his file. She planned on stopping by his home in the next few days to do a check-in.

Roman nodded, "I hope so."

"And your meetings?"

"I went to one on Friday night and I will probably go back again."

Ebony nodded as she continued to jot down information.

"Do you have any concerns?"

He smiled and shook his hand. "No ma'am. Not at all. I just want everything to get back to normal as quickly as possible."

"Well, Mr. Reigns, once you have gone to prison. Things change; they change a lot."

Roman nodded, "Yes ma'am. I understand that. I just wasn't to put all of that behind me. I was young and stupid, it was a big mistake." He looked down at his hands, which were clasped tightly in his lap.

"Well Mr. Reigns. You seem very determined and I think, that with time and patience, everything will work out just fine for you."

"Thank you." He looked up at her then and smiled.

How did such a charming, handsome man end up doing drugs and getting arrested? He just didn't seem the type.

 _She should know better. She had seen enough of it – anyone pushed too hard could easily turn to addiction._

She shuffled her papers around on her desk. "If there is nothing else you would like to talk about, I see no reason to make you stay any longer. I will see you next Tuesday, Mr. Reigns"

"You make it sound like it's all bad." He smirked as he stood up and left the room.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Lydia stood, leaning against the window sill, in her 's hospital room The doctor had informed her that his condition was improving and they believed he would wake up. They would then decide what their next step in his treatment would be.

She could have jumped on the doctor and embraced him, she was so ecstatic. Seth was going to wake up. He was going to be alright, _she could feel it._

"Hey there. You look happy." Roman entered the room. He crossed the room, stood beside her, and looked at her expectantly.

"They say Seth is getting better. They think he is going to wake up."

Roman smiled and hugged her tightly, "That is _fantastic!_ "

Lydia couldn't help but smile back, "I know. They aren't sure when he is going to wake up but apparently his blood tests are coming back better, the steroids and antibiotics are helping a lot."

"That's the best news, I've heard all day."

"You didn't get the job?" Lydia frowned, disappointed for her friend. He was a good person who made a mistake. Why couldn't people look past it and give him a chance?

"No. I'll have to try to find something else." He shrugged his shoulders. He was trying to hide his disappointment but she could see through his guise.

Lydia jumped up on the window sill, "You know Roman – I had a stock guy quit yesterday. He was angry I hadn't been in and my assistant manager asked him to work a double. We really need to get the position filled – if you want it, it's yours?"

Roman looked at her, shocked. "Seriously? What about your assistant manager, would they be okay with that."

"Well it is _my_ store." She smiled. "She will be fine with it. She will be relieved she doesn't have to try to fill the position on top of everything else she needs to do."

"Lydia. Thank you _so_ much." He enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug and she laughed.

"Hey. Don't get too excited. It's not very glamorous."

"You are a life-saver."

Lydia laughed. "I'm glad I could do something for you. You have been amazing – being here for Seth and I. Besides it's not like I'm not getting a good employee out of the deal. I'll give Natalie a call."

Lydia jumped down off of the sill and disappeared into the hallway with her cell phone. Roman sat down beside Seth and leaned back in the chair.

"I don't know if you can her me or not . . . actually I kind of hope you can't. I don't want you to remember me telling you this. It's just – I need to talk to someone. I need to tell someone that those drugs were not mine. I lied and now everything is a mess. This is just as much my fault as his. I always tried to protect him – hell; I still am, even if he doesn't deserve it."

"Or need it."

Roman turned around. Dean was leaning against the door jam, arms crossed. "Oh, you need it. It's too bad I'm not enough though."

Dean walked into the room and sat beside him. "I never asked you to do it. I never asked you for anything."

Roman shook his head. "I know but, I did. The least you could do is be grateful you weren't the one who lost everything."

"Hey Roman! Natalie wants to know if you can go over and sign some paperwork and get a good look at the place." Lydia slid her phone into her pocket, "Oh hey Dean."

"Yea sure. I can do that. Thanks so much Lydia. You have no idea how much this means to me." He smiled and stood up.

Lydia shook her head, "You're going to wish you had said no. I heard the boss is a ral bitch." She smiled when he laughed. "I'm sure Nat is already writing you into the schedule."

"That's fine by me. I better get over there."

Lydia took his empty chair seat beside Dean after he left. "I hope you boys were playing nice?"

"Nice? Am I capable of playing nice?"

Lydia rolled her eyes and smiled. "Is there anything new on the case?"

"They are bringing in someone to question. A guy with quite a few armed robberies on his rap sheet, I think it is promising."

Lydia nodded, "I hope they catch him soon."

"They will, trust me."

Lydia nodded, "I do" Dean smiled and she did too. It was a rarity for Dean to smile. So, catching him smiling was rather pleasant. "Thank you for keeping me updated."

He nodded, "You know Lydia. You have spent the majority of the last three days here. You need to get out of here, just for a little bit."

Lydia shook her head. "I can't go. I want to be here when he wakes up."

"I know but you can't just sit around here either. The doctor isn't even sure when he is going to wake up. It could be a few more days."

"Or it could be tonight." Lydia retorted.

"I don't think so." Dean shook his head. "Tomorrow night maybe but not tonight."

"And why is that?'

"Because, you're going to get out of here for a little bit." He seized her hand and pulled her into a standing position. "You're coming with me."

"Is that so?" Dean nodded as he grabbed her jacket off of the chair and draped it over her shoulders. "I really think I need to stay Dean."

"Lydia, it's just a few hours. Just some dinner or something. You are going to go insane if you do not get out of here for a little bit."

"Because you're the foremost expert on mental health."

"I know what being alone can do to a person. You need some company – for more than just a few minutes. "He guided her toward the doorway. "Dinner and maybe a movie then I swear I will bring you right back."

Lydia sighed, "Okay, dinner. Then I come right back."

Dean smiled triumphantly and escorted her out the door, "Dinner it is, milady."

* * *

 **an.** There was originally going to be more to this chapter but I didn't want to make it **too** long. So we will see **Dean and Lydia at dinner** in the next chapter as well as **Roman's 'orientation' at work** (among other things). I hope this chapter wasn't too slow or boring. It is in some ways filler but it will add up to be important to the plot, of course. I didn't get to everything that I was talking about in the opening author's note; some of it will be in the next chapter . . . so yea. I'm sorry if that was a bit confusing.

 **I hope to see everyone is around for the next chapter! : )**

-Danie.


	8. Chapter 8

**an.** I hope everyone is ready for this update. I don't know if I am! I am so worried about it. I truly hope you all like it. I am so nervous!

 **disclaimer**. I'm really just a crazy cat lady.

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Progression_

* * *

Caroline was surprised to find the room empty. She had been certain that Lydia would still be by Seth's side. She slowly entered the room and took the empty seat beside his bed. She sat the new arrangement of flowers she had bought on the bedside table. It was a well done arrangement of yellow lilies, yellow and white roses, and sunflowers.

"We miss you at the station. All of the officers are worried about you and they are working as hard as they can to find the person who did this to you. They think they are getting close and I hope they are right." Caroline reached out and took his hand. "You're a good man, Seth. I really wish I had the courage to tell you how I felt before all of this. " Caroline sighed, her hands shaking. "I, I don't really know what to say. I don't even know if you can hear me anyway. I hope, if you can, you don't remember because it will probably come out a stupid mess anyway."

Caroline paused as a nurse walked by the room. She smiled at the brunette, who smiled back before continuing down the hall. Caroline turned her gaze back to Seth. _It's now or never. She knew she would never have the courage to say it to him when he woke up.  
_

"You see. I've always liked you Seth. You are so dedicated and kind and . . ." Caroline paused; she couldn't think of the perfect word to describe him. She squeezed his hand gently. "Needless to say you amaze me every day. You see terrible things but you never seem to let it change the good in you. You have always been so kind to me and I am so happy to have you as a friend but, I would be lying if I said I didn't wish we could be more." She smiled weakly at his unmoving figure and closed her eyes. She said a silent prayer that he would be alright, that he would wake up and that they would find the man who did this.

She gasped and opened her eyes as his hand gently tightened on hers. It only lasted for a second but the pressure of his fingers against hers was undeniable. She pulled her hand away, startled.

"Seth?" She leaned forward to look more closely at him. His eyes were still closed and his arms lay, once again limp, at his sides. "Seth, can you hear me?"

There was no response. She sighed sadly and leaned back in her chair. There was no way she had imagined that. Seth could hear her, he could sense her. He was going to wake up soon.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman sat at a small desk in the back room of _Viva a Verde_. Natalie was in the office printing off all of the forms he needed to sign. She was a petite blonde with warm brown eyes, high cheek bones and full, pink lips. He leaned back in his chair. He had never expected Lydia to open an organic health food store. She had always talked about becoming a cop, like Seth. He wondered what had changed her mind. Seth had never mentioned it on any of his visits or in any letters.

"Okay, I think I have everything we need." Natalie carried out a manila folder. She sat at the end of the table and did not look at him as she flipped through the papers. "I'm just going to need your signature on some of these forms. Do you have any form of photo id with you?"

"Yes, I have my driver's license." The day after his release he had gone to the DMV to get his license renewed and his new photo taken. He took out his wallet and pulled it from its spot. He held it out to her and she took it.

"Social Security Card?" He nodded and handed that to her as well. "Okay then. I am going to go make some copies of these. If you could sign these please," she said and slid the stack of papers across the table to him. "Work release, human resources information and payroll paperwork."

"Of course." He smiled at her.

He frowned when she did not return the gesture. She simply nodded again, stood, and returned to the office, where he assumed the copier was located.

He glanced over the papers as he signed them one by one. He was on the last paper when she returned with his license and social security card. "Here you go Mr. Reigns. When you are done with the forms I can show you around. I have you scheduled to start training tomorrow. Lydia told me you were eager to begin working."

"Yes ma'am." He signed the last paper and closed the folder. "They are all signed."

"Okay. Now let me show you around and introduce you to the other stock clerk. He will be working with you tomorrow to get your started out."

"Okay." He got up from his chair and followed her out onto the floor.

"Tomorrow we will be getting a delivery so there will be plenty of stock to put away. It is not a big store and I am sure you will become familiar with it quickly." She stopped. He stood beside her and couldn't help but notice the small step she took away from him. She pointed, "That side is the freezers and refrigerator cases." She continued to point to the various aisles and sections as she spoke. "Then we have the breads and grains, cans and boxed goods, bakery items and then in the corner we have a small section where farmers can sell their local produce."

"It's a wonderful store."

"Make sure you tell Lydia that. I am sure she will appreciate it. The store itself is open every day from 8 am to 8pm. You will be coming in at 4 and will stay as late as it takes to stock the shelves and complete any other work required of you. Our stocking clerks usually leave between 10 and 11." Roman nodded.

"Okay. What else will I be doing besides stocking?"

"Cleaning occasionally; moving shelving, rotating product, and painting if it is needed. Lydia doesn't like to outsource unless she has to."

"I can handle that."

"Well at least you are enthusiastic." Natalie said as she led the way back to the back room. "All of our extra merchandise is kept back here." Roman nodded his understanding. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"Actually I do. Do I make you uncomfortable ma'am?" He knew it was a dangerous question to ask. He had just gotten this job and he should be careful not to sound disrespectful or step on any toes. "I just don't want to start off on bad terms, you know."

Natalie sighed, "I will be honest Mr. Reigns. I think Lydia is making a mistake hiring you. . ."

"And why is that?"

"Well you do have a felony on your criminal record. That's not something you really expect me to overlook, is it?"

Roman sighed, "I know it's probably going to sound like a lame excuse but, I was young and it was dumb mistake. I wasn't thinking and I paid the price for it. Please don't make me keep paying it? I'm not that person anymore."

Natalie crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him intently. It felt like an eternity before she spoke, "Lydia trusts you and I trust Lydia. I really hope you are telling the truth Mr. Reigns. I don't want to see Lydia's trust get betrayed especially by someone she holds in such a high regard." Natalie collected the folder off of the table and tucked it under her arm. "Well, I think that is it and we are done here. See you tomorrow Mr. Reigns, 4 o'clcok." She walked passed him and made her way to the office where she flipped on the light and closed the door.

Roman stood, stunned, for a moment. Part of him was angry _, what right did this woman have to judge him_? She knew _nothing_ of him or his intentions. On another level he was hurt. He couldn't help but wonder if people would always see him in such a way – a criminal who could not be trusted.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Ebony was just about to leave the office when the phone rang. She sighed and sat down, tossing her briefcase onto the desk. _So much for getting out on time for once._

She picked up the phone, "Hello. This is Ebony Davis." She greeted.

"Hello, Miss Davis. It's Roman Reigns."

Ebony relaxed slightly, "What can I do for you, Mr. Reigns."

"I just wanted to let you know that I got a job and I start tomorrow." He sounded genuinely excited and she couldn't help but smile.

"That's wonderful; could you tell me where and what position so I can add it to your file?"

"It's at _Viva a Verde._ I'll be stocking and doing a little bit of maintenance."

She jotted down the information on a post it. "Alright, thank you and congratulations."

"Thank you. I will see you Tuesday." He hung up and she returned the phone to the cradle.

As if things weren't complicated enough with Roman Reigns being a family friend of her roommate, _now_ he was going to work at Lydia's store as well.

Ebony sighed and picked up her suitcase. _What was she going to do about this?_

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Lydia jogged along behind Dean as he led her up the sidewalk toward his apartment. "Dean, why didn't we just eat at a restaurant?" Lydia asked when he released her hand to unlock the door.

"The last place you need to be is some stuffy restaurant. You need to relax." Dean unlocked the door and pushed it open. He motioned for her to go inside. He followed her through the door and closed it behind them after switching on the light. He lived in a small one bedroom; she stood in the entryway, as he closed the door, and looked around the space. There were two windows on the living room wall. He had a small couch and chair, a television set and a coffee table.

"Go have a seat. I'll dish us up some food and I'll bring it to you." He pushed her gently toward the living room before disappearing down the tiny hallway to what she could only assume was the kitchen. She walked across the room and sat down on one end of the couch. There were no photographs, no pictures, nothing personal. She knew that Dean had always been sort of a loner and he wasn't close to his family but, she wondered why there wasn't a single picture of them anywhere in the house. She leaned back against the cool leather and looked out the window. You could see the city lights in the valley below. It was a remarkable view.

"Here we are." Dean came out carrying two plates and two beer bottles. He handed her a plate and one of the bottles of beer. She popped it open and took a sip while he did the same.

"I could have had pizza at the hospital, you know." Lydia smiled as she leaned back and put her plate on her lap.

"Yes, I guess you could have but, like I said earlier, you need to get out of there for a few hours." Dean grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. "There has got to be a good movie on somewhere." He flipped through the channels until he found something he deemed suitable. Lydia took a bite of her pizza as she watched him.

"You know I'm not staying long, Dean. I need to get back to the hospital?"

"I know but, do you really want to just sit here and stare at a blank screen."

"Well we could talk you know." Lydia laughed and took another sip of her beer. "I mean even though I have known you for years I still know very little about you."

"That's probably for the better." Dean said and kicked his feet up, placing them on the coffee table. He took a large bite of his pizza and chewed it audibly as he turned his attention toward the TV screen.

"You're an animal." Lydia commented. She took another bite of her pizza.

"Well that's not very polite at all, after I made you dinner and everything."

"Made?" Lydia smiled and shook her head.

"Well, I did put it on the plates." Dean took another bite of food as Lydia laughed. "It's good to hear you laughing, Dia."

She stopped at the nickname. It was a nickname that her brother and Roman had called her on numerous occasions but, she had _never_ heard Dean say it before.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have – It's just everyone else calls you that and . . ."

"No, Dean. It's okay." Lydia smiled and elbowed him lightly. "I'm just use to you calling me something cheesy like babe or doll face and stuff like that?"

"Do you not enjoy your nicknames?" Dean frowned a bit and she instantly felt bad.

"That's not what I mean at all! I just meant that I'm not used to you calling me Dia. That's all." She polished off her beer and sat the empty bottle on the table.

"If you want another one of those there are more in the fridge." Dean nodded toward the bottle.

"Thanks. I think I might." She finished off her slice of pizza and carried the plate and empty bottle out to the kitchen with her. She was surprised how neat the small space was. There were only a few dirty dishes in the sink, most likely from earlier in the day, the counters and floors were clean, and the pizza box sat neatly on the oven. She went over to the fridge and grabbed a beer. She twisted off the cap and threw it away before returning to the living room. She took a swig as she walked down the hall and into the living room. She plopped down next to Dean on the couch. "I'm going to have to get a cab back to the hospital."

"Just relax for a little bit. I'll make sure you get back to the hospital, okay?"

Lydia nodded, "So Dean, how long have you been living here."

He shrugged, "A few years."

"That's it? You don't remember exactly how long it has been?"

Dean sighed, "Long enough."

Lydia thought that was a strange answer but decided she should not push it. "I like it."

"Thanks." He took another bite of his pizza, "It works for me."

"But where are all your photographs?"

"Photographs of what?"

"You know friends, family?"

Dean snorted and took a long drink before answering, "Putting pictures up means I would want to be reminded of them. I don't."

Lydia frowned. She couldn't imagine feeling that way about Seth, "You're serious?" She drank from the long-neck bottle and watched as Dean finished off his pizza and sat the empty plate down on the coffee table.

"C'mon Lydia. You can't think it was a coincidence I spent so much time at your house."

"To be honest, I just thought you liked to visit." Lydia shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Well of course I liked to visit; but it was also nice to get away."

Lydia nodded, "I see. I know a lot of people say that they want to be away from their parents but, honestly I don't understand that. I'd do anything to have my parents back."

Dean sighed and looked down at his hands, which grasped his beer bottle tightly, on his lap, "Well, Lydia, not everyone has nice parents." Dean said with a note of finality.

She frowned and turned to face him, crossing her legs. "I know that but –"

"Let's just leave it at that, okay doll-face?"

Lydia frowned but didn't say anything as Dean collected his plate and bottle and made his way toward the kitchen.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Dean dropped his plate into the sink and leaned against the counter. He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. He was in dangerous territory with Lydia. He did not like to talk about his past.

Dean opened the refrigerator door and grabbed two more beers. He let the door swing shut as he walked back to the living room. Lydia was sitting cross-legged on the couch, her beer bottle tucked between her legs. She had been watching the movie but turned her hazel eyes on him when he entered the room.

He flopped down beside her and handed her one of the beer bottles, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been short with you." He opened up his beer and took a sip of it.

"It's okay, Dean. I shouldn't pry. Your personal life is none of my business. You are not comfortable talking about your family. I shouldn't be pushy about it."

"You're not pushy. I just didn't have the type of childhood you want to talk about."

Lydia nodded. "I' m sorry."

He turned and looked at her. She was everything he was not; kind, gentle, compassionate, supportive. She was a very bright ray of light in the darkness that was his life. She always had been. He had never talked with her much when he was younger. He hasn't been in the right place to confront his feelings for her. _He hadn't had the confidence._

That had changed over the last year. He was a successful, celebrated detective. He finally felt like she might see him as more than just her big brother's eccentric friend.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He turned away from her and took a long drink from his bottle before setting it on the coffee table. "You, Seth and Roman were the good part of my childhood. Don't be sorry for being what saved me."

She remained quiet for a while, twirling her beer bottle between her palms as she stared at the swishing amber liquid. "I am glad you found Seth and Roman then."

"So am I." He smiled at her and she smiled back. He sat his beer bottle down and slid closer to her. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He cupped her face gently as they kissed his other hand on the back of the couch, supporting his body weight. He turned sideways, one knee on the couch and one foot resting on the floor as he leaned into her, pushing her back against the cool leather. "I'm glad that I found you too." He mumbled as he trailed kisses down her neck. She sighed, tilting her head back as his lips brushed her skin.

"Dean – I –"

He hushed her as his fingers hooked the hem of her shirt, sliding the soft material up her sides. He deftly yanked the thin material over her head and tossed it to the floor before continuing his trail of kisses across her collarbone and shoulder.

"Dean, the hosp—"she moaned as a combination of lips, tongue and teeth worked over her flesh. She slid her hands beneath his shirt, her fingers gliding up his sides and back. Her groaned in annoyance and yanked the material over his head. He grasped her legs and gently turned her toward him, wrapping her legs around him as he kissed her. Her fingers found his hair, tangling in the shaggy blond curls.

He ran his hands up her back and unclasped her bra. He tossed it with their shirts. He keeled over her, unbuckling his belt. She watched as he slid the leather strap through the loops of his jeans and dropped it to the floor.

His eyes grazed over her body as she lay beneath him. She was quiet and he realized she was doing the same to him. She reached up and a slid her fingers lightly along the scars across his left side. Her brow creased as she frowned. He paused, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

She pulled herself up and placed a kiss over the jagged mark before continuing the trail up his stomach and chest. He moaned and unbuttoned and unzipped his own jeans. He gently pushed her back against the sofa and ran his hand over the soft flesh of her stomach before unhooking and unzipping her jeans as well. She smiled at him as she wiggled out of the dark denim and threw it to the floor. He followed suit and soon there were no barriers left between them and he filled her, a hearty groan escaping his lips as they worked their way back to her mouth.

* * *

 **an.** I struggled so much with this chapter. Especially the final section, this is not something I am used to writing so I hope it wasn't terrible. Chapter 9 will get very interesting so I hope you all stick around for it. Thanks for all of the reviews, favorites and follows. – Danie.


	9. Chapter 9

**an.** sorry this update took so long guys. I hope that you find this chapter was worth the wait. This chapter will be kind of intense so I want to warn you all ahead of time that things are going to get a little crazy. (yes, more intense). So I hope you all are ready and enjoy the crazy ride!  
 **disclaimer** – I'm just a girl with a big imagination and too much free time on her hands. (and i really do love dean, despite what this story might make you think)

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Dirty Little Secret_

* * *

The gentle caress of fingertips woke him the next morning. He kept his eyes closed as Lydia's fingers ghosted over the remnants of the scars on his back.

Just as quickly as her touch had come, it went. He wondered what was going through her mind. Then he realized he was lucky he didn't know.

He felt the shift of her body as she got out of bed and for a moment he wondered if she was going to leave without saying goodbye.

Lydia would never do that.

That was something he would do.

But Lydia was better than him.

She _deserved_ better than him.

Once she had left the room he got up and grabbed a clean pair of jeans. He showered quickly. He slid on the jeans and pulled a black beater over his head. He returned to the tiny bedroom and raked his fingers through his damp, unruly hair.

The smell of coffee perking and bacon frying filled the apartment and he smiled. _He knew she was too good to leave._

He flopped back down on the bed and yanked open the nightstand. The baggy of little white powder called to him and he pulled it out of its hiding place. He dumped some on the bedside table and lined it up perfectly before leaning in and inhaling deeply.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Lydia traced the faint red lines hat streaked his back and shoulders. What had happened to him? The scars were barely visible in the early morning light. It was clear that they were old and had faded over time.

She slid out of bed, trying not to wake him, and quietly left the room. Curiosity was getting the better of her and she wondered if she should ask him about the marks. Would it upset him? Maybe it was something he didn't want to share? She had known him for years and had no idea about his scars.

Maybe that was what intrigued her the most. How had she never known about it? Dean spent so much time at their house, she couldn't figure out how she had never noticed.

 _But how much attention had she really paid to him anyway?_

Lydia made her way to the kitchen and set about making breakfast. She fried bacon and eggs and made pancakes and coffee. Once all of the food was done and on the small table in the kitchen she made her way back to the bedroom. She walked inside, expecting to find a still slumbering Dean.

Instead she found Dean bent over the nightstand a baggie of white powder clutched tightly in one hand.

"What the hell?' She moved forward.

Dean jumped and turned to face her. She walked over to him and yanked the baggie out of his hand. He tried to fight her off but eventually gave up and let his hands fall to his lap, his gaze shifting to the floor.

"Dean – is this what I think it i?" He didn't respond and Lydia sighed, "How long?"

"What difference does that make?"

Lydia sighed and sat down beside him. "Why?"

"It makes me feel better."

It was the simplest, most evasive answer and it annoyed her. "Talk to me."

"There is nothing to talk about. It is none of your business Lydia." He grabbed the bag out of her hand and stood up. He shoved it into his pocket and stomped out of the room.

There was no way he was getting off that easy. She stood up and followed him to the kitchen where he had poured a cup of coffee and was adding cream and sugar. "I'm serious, Dean. We are going to talk about this."

"And I've already told you, I've got nothing to say to you. So you can either shut up and eat or you can leave. Take your pick." He grabbed an empty mug out of the cupboard and held it out to her.

She grabbed it from his hand and made her way to the coffee maker. Dean grabbed one of the plates on the table and dropped two pancakes on it. He turned his attention to the eggs, jabbing two aggressively with his fork.

Lydia poured coffee into her cup, "You know Dean. What happened with Seth isn't your fault."

Dean stopped and turned to look at her, "What?" He seemed surprised by her statement.

She sat the coffee pot back on the base, "If you are doing this because you are upset you weren't there when he got shot. It's not your fault. You can talk to us, _talk to me,_ you don't have to turn to that."

He sighed and dropped his plate on the table and turned his back to her. She watched apprehensively, waiting for his next move. Had she pushed to hard? She knew that it was easy to push Dean Ambrose over the edge. She watched as he rubbed his hands over his face and then let them fall to his sides. He clenched and unclenched his fists.

Feeling a sudden surge of bravery, she took a step toward him. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "Dean – I wasn't trying to upset you – I want you to know that I am here for you. We have all had a hard time –"

"Get out."

"What?"

He turned to face her, his eyes boring into her, burning like wildfire. "I said get out."

"Dean, I'm sorry. I just wanted to help. . . "

"WHY?" He threw his arms up and she took a quick step back, startled by his response. "Why in the world would _you_ want to help me, Lydia?"

"We're friends Dean. I care about you." _It had to be the cocaine._ Dean would never act like this. He would never be so _volatile._ This explained his strange behavior ever since Seth got shot. It explained his mood, his attitude,it explained _everything._

"Then stop."

"What? Dean you are not making any sense. It's the drugs they are messing with your head. . ."

"It's my fault!" He yelled as he jabbed a finger into his chest. He looked demented, his eyes were wide and his hands shook against his chest. "It's my fault."

"Dean, you didn't know – you got out there when you could –"

"No!" He took a step closer to her, his face just inches away from hers and she took a step back. She had never seen him in this kind of a state. This was beyond anger, more intense than any of his other tirades. "No, Lydia it was my fault. I wasn't there. If I was there . . ."

"Seth still could have been shot. You saved him. You kept him from bleeding to death. The doctors said. . ."

Dean grabbed her arms and pushed her back against the counter. She whimpered and struggled to free her hands from his grasp. He leaned closer to her, his body pressed against hers, the coarse denim of his jeans brushing roughly against her bare thigh. He released her from his grasp but, kept her pinned against the counter with the weight of his body. She gripped the counter-top behind her and closed her eyes. He was completely unhinged; she should have left when he told her to.

He pressed his face atop her head; his fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled it to one side. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple and then whispered, "It was my fault Lydia. You want to know why?"

The shift in his demeanor caught her completely off guard. In a matter of seconds he went from completely explosive to whispering in her ear. She nodded; _curiosity would always be her downfall_. "I – I want the truth."

He sighed against her skin and pulled away. He looked sad as he brought a finger under her chin and gently turned her face upward to look at him. He kissed her gently and ran his thumb along her cheek. "You're going to wish you didn't say that." He brought a hand to rest on either side of hers. "Your brother is in that hospital bed because instead of going into that store with him, I was in the bathroom snorting cocaine off the sink."

He moved his hands and took one step back. He stared at her, blankly. "No." she shook her head. _Dean had started taking the drugs because he was upset. That was the only logical explanation._

"Yes. That is the truth. That is _exactly_ what happened. Then, I did it again in the hospital bathroom, right after Seth flat lined and they revived him, I got high." He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "I get high _a lot_ , actually."

Lydia stared at him, shocked. _How could he be so nonchalant?_ Her temper rose. All this time he had been being so kind, so caring. _Did he actually care or did he just feel guilty?_

"Still feel the need to comfort me, Dia? Still think this is someone else's fault?' He moved closer to her again. "If it wasn't for me going off into that bathroom to get high your brother might be at home, playing his video games; instead he is in that hospital room. He is there because of me, because of my dirty little secret."

Why did it feel like he was gloating? Why was he so damn cocky about it? Seth was his friend, his partner and _this,_ this was how he acted.

"You disgust me." The words dripped venom as they slipped from her lips. She stared at him through narrowed eyes.

He leaned forward an out of place smirk curving one side of his mouth, "I certainly didn't disgust you last night."

White hot rage burned her gut and she lashed out, smacking him across the face. She shoved him out of the way and stormed out the kitchen. She ignored his footsteps behind her as she rushed into the living room and collected her bra, jeans, socks and shoes.

They both jumped when the doorbell rang.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Dean walked over to the door and pulled it open, much to the dismay of Lydia who threw both her arms up in the air. He shrugged at her and turned to the man on the other side of the door. He was wearing dark jeans, a black button down, vest, and tie. He flashed a badge, "Hello Detective Ambrose, I'm Detective Farrelly and I am-"

"A rat, yea. Why else would you be bothering me? What do you want?'

"May I come in?'

"I'm kind of busy at the moment." Dean nodded behind him, "I have company, if you know what I mean." He ignored Lydia's disgusted scoff in the background.

"It will only take a moment."

Dean stepped aside as Lydia disappeared down the hall. "I guess you're lucky. She was just getting ready to leave."

"I was wondering if I could have a look around."

"Not until you give me a good reason."

"It's my job, detective."

"Then arrest me or come back with a warrant because that is the only way you are going to search my house." Dean shoved his hands into his pockets and clutched the small plastic baggie.

"I don't want to search. I just want to take quick look around."

"Oh, well then by all means let me give you the grand tour, _detective."_ Dean nodded toward the living room. "That's my living room, sorry for the mess. It was a busy night."

Stephen grunted and turned to look at the small room. Dean leaned back against the wall, where all of the coats, and Lydia's purse, hung neatly in row. He clasped his hands behind his back and smiled when his fingertips brushed the cool leather of her purse and found it open. He dropped the bag inside and then stood up straight just as Detective Farrelly turned around.

"Down this hall is the kitchen… sorry we were just sitting down to eat breakfast when you showed up." Dean led him into the kitchen and motioned to the table full of food. "I'm sure you won't mind if I don't show you the bedroom seeing it is currently occupied?"

"Yes, of course." Stephen looked around the small kitchen then turned his attention back to Dean, "I suppose you will deny selling any controlled substances."

"Of course I would deny it. It's ridiculous."

Stephen nodded, "What if I told you we have a witness who is willing to tell us otherwise?"

"I'd tell you he's lying." Dean heard the sound of the bedroom door opening, "If you don't mind I'd like to say good bye to my date." Dean led the way back down the hall just as Lydia was pulling her purse and coat off of the coat rack. "See ya later babe. I'll stop by the hospital after work." Dean opened the door for her and she shot him a quick glare as she slid on her coat and grabbed her purse.

"Good morning Miss Rollins." Detective Farrelly smiled at Lydia.

Dean fought the urge to knock every single one of his teeth down his throat.

"Good morning, Detective." She smiled at him before turning to Dean, "See you later, Dean." She walked out the open door.

Dean closed the door after she left, "I take it you have met my friend Lydia." He walked into the living room and flopped onto the couch. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes off of the coffee table and lit one.

"We are acquainted, yes. I didn't realize you too were seeing each other."

"We're not, really but, I don't see how it is your business either way.

'I suppose it isn't…unless it proves important to my investigation."

Dean shot up from his seat and crossed the room. He stood, face to face with the IA detective and growled, "You leave her alone. She is going through enough right now without a slimy little weasel like you bothering her!"

He clenched his free hand into a tight as he fought the urge to punch the smiling redhead. He clutched his cigarette so tightly in his other hand hat he crushed it between his fingers. "Then you better hope she has nothing to do with whatever it is that you have going on…I think I've learned enough for one day. I will be seeing you again soon, Mister Ambrose."

Dean watched as the detective crossed the room and opened the front door. He shot one last irritating smile at him before exiting and closing the door.

Dean clenched and unclenched his fists as he began to pace. He stopped abruptly and kicked the coffee table, knocking it over and sending its contents spilling onto the floor. He cussed vehemently and grabbed his pack of cigarettes. He grabbed one and lit it as he flopped back onto the couch. _What was he going to do now?_

* * *

 **an.** I was originally going to have a lot more in this chapter but, I didn't want it to be too much so I will post the next update within the next few days.

 **next chapter** –Roman shows up at the townhouse to find a very upset Lydia being comforted by Ebony

 **thank you to everyone who takes the time to read an review this story. It means so much to me. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

**an.** I'm not even sure what to say. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are truly awesome. & thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read this. I am glad you like it! A special thank you to Cristi for making the cover for this story…. I think I forgot to add this in one of my previous author notes. . . I'm sorry. Thank you so much, Cristi. _Now,_ Let's keep things rolling here.  
 **disclaimer.** I own several cats but, no hunky men.

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _The Discovery_

* * *

Caroline bolted upright, breathing heavily, and looked around the room. It was empty except for Seth and her. She inhaled deeply, attempting to calm her frazzled nerves.

Lydia had never returned? She hadn't meant to fall asleep but by two in the morning she was exhausted. She ran her fingers through her long black hair. She was surprised the nurse's hadn't asked her to leave after visiting hours ended.

She had decided to stay and wait for Lydia to come back. After Seth responded to her she did not want to leave him. She did not want him to wake up alone.

She moved closer to the bed and took his hand once more. "Good morning Seth. I know you are going to be back with us soon. I just hope your sister is here when you wake up." Caroline looked at the watch on her wrist and sighed. She had to be to work in three hours.

Hopefully Lydia would come back soon. She had no way of getting in contact with her to see when she would be coming back.

Caroline grabbed her purse and pulled out a large hardcover book. She leaned back, propping her feet up on the chair opposite her and opened the book and began to read. " _There was someone in her room, she thought. Someone with a kind, handsome face staring down at her, eyes filled with great concern. Then the face was gone and she was instantly wide-awake. And she was scared_. " (*)

Caroline looked up when someone cleared their throat. A man stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. His curly, dark hair was long, past his broad shoulders, and he was smirking as he watched her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm Roman." His voice was rich and deep. He crossed the room and held out a hand to her.

She sat the open book on her lap and slowly shook his outstretched hand. "Caroline. I work with Seth at the police station."

"Where is Lydia? I am surprised she's not here."

Caroline shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sorry. I don't know."

Roman frowned but, nodded, "So, you like Mysteries?" He pointed to the book on her lap.

Caroline nodded. "Yes, they are my favorite . . . I'm sorry. I am being so rude." She took her feet off of the second chair and sat up straight.

"It's okay. I won't be staying long. Seth always liked mysteries and thrillers." He smiled at her, "I should be going I was just checking in to see how Seth was doing. It was nice to meet you Caroline."

"You too." She watched as the man made his way toward the door. "Oh wait! Roman." She snapped the book shut and stood up.

The man stopped and turned to face her. He stood in the open doorway, clearly surprised she had called him back.

She walked up to him, "I'm sorry but, are you going to be talking to Lydia?"

"Yea, at least I hope so."

"Good. I don't have a way to contact her. She needs to get back here as soon as she can. I'm pretty sure Seth is going to wake up soon and I think she would want to be here with him."

Roman nodded, "I'm sure she would." He eyed her with mild curiosity, "Did the doctor's tell you he is going to wake up soon?"

"Well no. It's just…. Last night when I came in, I was talking with him and he responded – he squeezed my hand. He had to have heard me."

Roman smiled, "I'll be sure to tell Lydia to get over here. She wasn't here last night either?"

"She was gone all night." Caroline shrugged. "I stayed and waited for her but, she never showed up. I was surprised."

Roman frowned, "That is definitely strange. I will check on her and let her know what you said. Thanks Caroline."

"No; thank you Roman." She smiled at him and he smiled back before disappearing through the doorway. She returned to her chair by Seth's side and, opening the book again, began to read to him.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Ebony dropped a cup full of dry dog food into Smokey's bowl and scratched him lovingly behind the ears. She hated leaving the little guy all alone when she went to work. He always gave her the saddest eyes when she went to leave.

He wagged his tail and licked her face before trotting over to his food bowl.

Deciding that this would be the best time to leave – she grabbed her briefcase and car keys and made her way to the door.

It swung open, just as she reached for the door knob. Lydia stepped inside, cheeks flushed and tears streaming down her face. Ebony's stomach clenched. She dropped her bag and keys and walked over to her friend, "Lydia, what's wrong? Oh God! Did something happen to Seth?"

Lydia shook her head "Seth's okay. I. . . I haven't been to the hospital yet. "

Ebony frowned with confusion and guided her friend to the sectional in the living room. She gently pushed her down and then sat down beside her. "Then where have you been?"

Lydia shook her head and ran her fingers through her thick, brown hair. She took several deep breaths. "With Ambrose."

"Oh." Ebony wasn't sure what else to say, "Then what is wrong?"

"Dean came by the hospital yesterday. He said I needed to get away from the hospital for a bit."

"Yea. He is probably right. You have been up there a lot. Not that I blame you. I would do the same if I was in your situation."

Lydia nodded, "Well he asked me to go to dinner with him and I agreed….well one thing led to another and I – well, I slept with him."

Ebony was shocked. She knew Lydia had known Dean for a long time and knew him well but, as far as she was concerned, she had never heard of any romantic involvement between the two. She blew out a small breath and gently rubbed her friend's back, "Okay…so now you are worried that things are going to get awkward between you now. . . seeing there has been this change in your relationship? Did he say something that –"

Ebony was cut off by an angry huff from Lydia. Her body went rigid and her eyes darkened. "I _know_ things are going to get awkward."

"You don't know that. I mean he probably has feelings for you. He –"

"I caught him doing drugs, Eby."

Ebony frowned as fresh tears streaked down Lydia's cheeks. _Dean was doing drugs?_ "Lydia if that's true. .. "

"It is. I saw him. I caught him this morning." Lydia shook her head. "How could I be so stupid? I should have noticed."

"Lydia you are not stupid. He has probably been very careful about covering his tracks. There was no way for you to know." Ebony rubbed her back reassuringly.

"I thought, maybe, he started to cope, with Seth… you know. It still not right but I could understand. . . . but, no. He told me has been doing drugs for a long time." Lydia sighed and wiped at her eyes with shaking hands. "There is a detective investigating him. The other day when he asked if I thought Dean could be doing drugs I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. . . now I find out it's the truth."

"You have to tell the detective Lydia. If he finds out and thinks you were lying to him. . . "

"I can't do that. . . " Lydia let out a frustrated noise and flopped back against the back of the couch. She tapped her fingers on her lap, " I know I should but, he is Seth's friend. I've known him for years. I just can't do it."

Ebony nodded her head in understanding, "It's okay. Just relax everything is going to work out." Ebony couldn't help but wonder if her friend harbored some kind of feelings for Detective Dean Ambrose. This revelation had really upset her and Ebony felt a twinge of sadness for her roommate. What a position to be stuck in. "I'm going to go make some coffee. Just sit here and calm down. Okay." Ebony got up and made her way down the hall to the kitchen.

 _She knew what she had to do. She, unlike Lydia, did not have the grace of a choice. She had to report Dean._

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman pulled into the driveway behind Lydia's black sedan. He got out and jogged the short distance up the sidewalk and stairs to the front door. He knocked loudly on the door and shoved his keys into his pockets, waiting patiently for Lydia to answer.

The front door opened and the brunette stood before him, hair disheveled and her eyes red and swollen. She took a few steps back and gestured for him to step inside.

"Dia, what's wrong?" He had just left the hospital and knew that Seth was okay. He frowned in confusion. He followed Lydia to the couch where she flopped down.

"It's nothing Roman. Don't worry about it."

Roman opened his mouth to protest when the sound of heels on hardwood caught his attention. He looked in the direction of the new arrival. His eyes widened as he stared in shock.

Her dark hair was up in a perfect bun and she wore a black pencil skirt and white blouse. She was carrying two coffee cups. She froze at the sight of him. They locked eyes for a moment before she regained her composure, looked away, and continued her long strides to the couch. ""I made you a cup of tea. I thought it would be better, under the circumstances."

"Thank you." Lydia smiled at her as she took the mug and Ebony took a seat beside her. "Ebony this is my friend Roman – he is a good friend of Seth's. Roman, this is Ebony."

Roman nodded, too surprised to speak. His parole officer was friend of Lydia's?

"It's good to see you Roman," Ebony answered lightly and held out her hand. Roman took it and smirked, shaking it lightly.

"You too." He turned his attention to Lydia, relaxing slightly. "I was just at the hospital Dia…and there was some girl named Caroline there. . ."

"It's okay Ro, she is a friend of Seth's."

"Yea that is what she said. I guess she showed up last night to visit and you weren't there. But she says you need to get up to the hospital quick."

"Why, is something wrong?" Lydia asked, eyes growing wide with concern."

"No, no. Actually she said she was talking to Seth last night and he responded. He squeezed her hand when she was talking to him."

"So he could hear her?" Lydia smiled brightly.

"That's what she's thinking. . . and I would have to agree with her. She said she waited for you to come back but you never did. She ended up staying there with him. She was still there when I left."

"Yea something came up. I better get up there. I need to go change." Lydia sat her half-full mug on the coffee table and got up. "Thanks for the tea Ebony. Thanks Roman." She left before either could respond, crossing the room and darting up the stairs.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman and Ebony sat in awkward silence for a few short moments before Ebony offered him a drink. He denied the offer and sat down on the couch beside her. "So, you are friends with Lydia?" He looked at her expectantly and she felt a little pang of guilt for not bringing up the situation after she found out about it. She watched, with great surprise, as Smokey entered the room and walked straight up to their new guest. The puppy was typically weary of strangers, especially males. The only man the lab-husky mix really liked was Seth. She smiled when Roman leaned forward and scratched the dog's ears.

"Roommates, actually."

"Good to know. " Ebony was surprised by his lack of concern about the situation. Did it not bother him? It certainly bothered her. "So what's going on with her? She was so upset when I got here. She is never like that."

"That's not really my place. . ."

"Please. She isn't very open and with Seth where he is… I just want to make sure she is okay." Smokey managed to climb up onto the couch without assistance and sat beside Roman, who gently stroked his back as the dog curled up in the center of the sectional and drifted off to sleep.

"She went out with Detective Ambrose last night and things. . . escalated quickly and, from what I understand. . . things did not go so well this morning." Ebony watched Roman, curiously.

His features darkened and he frowned, brows furrowing. His anger surprised her. Wasn't he friends with Dean? "What happened?" He rubbed the heel of his hand forcefully against his dark denim-clad thigh. He looked at her expectantly.

"This really isn't right Roman. It's not my place. . . "

"Please?" His features softened as he watched her.

Ebony nodded, "I guess she found him doing drugs. She didn't tell me much but, I am guessing there were probably words exchanged. She was very upset."

Roman shook his head slowly, "That idiot." He sighed. "Thank you for telling me."

Ebony didn't respond. She watched Roman with avid curiosity. She studied him, the rigidity of his shoulders, the furrow of his brow, the frown that shaped his full lips. . . if she didn't know any better she would have guessed that he had unshared feelings for her friend. Had she only added fuel to the fire? Would Roman confront Dean about what had happened with Lydia? Was it possible that he had feelings for Lydia, feelings that could lead him to do something rather stupid?

 _And why did the idea of Roman having feelings for her best friend leave her with the feeling that a ton of lead had settled in the pit of her stomah?_

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Lydia showered quickly and slid on a pair of black jeans and a grey long sleeve shirt. She slid on her favorite flats and ran a brush through her damp hair before running down the stairs.

Roman had joined Ebony on the couch and the two were sitting quietly, Ebony occasionally sipping her coffee.

"Thank you so much for coming by and letting me know what was going on Roman. I never should have left the hospital last night."

"It's no big deal, Dia. You needed to get out of there for a little bit." Roman replied. He stood up, "I should get going. I need to go home and get to work."

"I need to go too. I need to get to the hospital. Thanks for everything Ebony. You are the best."

Ebony smiled sweetly and stood up, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "What else are friends for? I will stop by the hospital after my meeting at the courthouse this afternoon."

"Okay." Lydia smiled, feeling much better. Dean still weighed heavily on her mind but, nothing could damper her mood; not even the memories of her little indiscretion the night before. Seth was going to wake up soon.

She happily grabbed her handbag off of the stand by the door and cussed loudly when she dropped it. . . spilling the contents. She sighed and bent down to scoop up all of her belongings. Roman stopped by the door and crouched down to help her.

She gasped when she saw it. She reached out and seized it from it's hiding place, between her datebook and her wallet. Ebony and joined them and was now watching her a stunned expression on her face.

"Is that what I think it is?" Ebony asked.

"Yes, yes it is." Lydia clutched the bag tightly as a fresh wave of anger washed over her. "That bastard slipped his drugs into my bag."

"But why would he do that? Wouldn't he want to keep them to take them?" Ebony asked, confused.

"He must have done it when Detective Farrelly showed up." Lydia said, more to herself than her friends, who were now staring at her. The stray contents of her purse were still lying scattered on the floor, long forgotten after her discovery.

"That detective who is investing Dean was there?"

"Yea, he showed up right after Dean and I fought about the drugs. He let him in. He was still there when I left. He must have put them in there to hide them from him while I was changing."

"That bastard." Lydia and Roman both turned to look at Ebony, who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed by her outburst.

Roman seized Lydia's wrist and took the baggy out of her grasp. "I think I am going to have a little talk with Detective Ambrose." Roma said with disgust.

"Roman, you can't go anywhere with that." Ebony said harshly.

"What, you think I'm going to snort it or something. Don't worry. . . I don't do coke." Roman frowned, clearly hurt by her assumption.

"We know that Roman." Lydia said reassuringly. She touched his arm lightly.

"But if you leave with that and get caught, it's not only a parole violation. . . it's more jail time. . . " Ebony added, she held out a hand for the bag.

He sighed and dropped the baggy into her waiting hand. "Fine. . . but I am still having a little heart to heart with him."

Lydia frowned, "Roman don't upset him . . . you know how he can be. . . "

"I can handle Ambrose." Roman scooped up another pile of her possessions and dropped them into her open handbag. "I know how to deal with him. You just get to the hospital and take care of Seth. I will handle Dean."

Lydia decided it best not to argue and finished picking up her belongs. She thanked her friends and followed Roman out the front door.

* * *

 **an.** Okay I am going to leave it like that for now. I am hoping to get another chapter up sometime this week but you never know. It all depends on how busy things get.

 **next chapter** – Roman confronts Dean. Ebony does a little research at her office.

 **If you guys would be so kind and vote in the poll on my profile page. It would really mean a lot to me. Please (and thank you if you do!)**

Thank you so much for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

an. I want to have this up over the weekend and I told some people it would be! I am so sorry for the delay. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter...It's a little slower than the last few chapters but things will be picking up again. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read and review this story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

disclaimer. if only I could make a living writing fanfiction!

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Realizations_

* * *

Lydia arrived at the hospital 20 minutes later. Caroline was still there, reading to Seth. She looked up from the book on her lap when Lydia entered the room.

"Hi Caroline. Thanks for staying with Seth while I was gone." Lydia sat her bag on the bedside table.

Caroline nodded and closed the book, after marking the page she was on. "It's okay. I'm glad you got here before I had to leave for work."

"Roman told me what you said." Lydia smiled at the thought that her big bother would wake up soon. "I really hope you are right."

"Me too." Caroine tucked the book into a large tote-bag. "I better get going so I can get ready. I'll see you later Lydia." Caroline slung her bag over her shoulder and turned to Seth, taking his hand. "Hopefuly you will be awake when I come back." She gently squeezed his hand and Lydia smiled. She let go and walked out of the small room.

Lydia took the empty seat by her brother and took his hand in hers. "Honestly Seth. I hope she is right because I could really use my big brother right now." She sighed, thinking about her situation with Dean. She knew that even if Seth was awake there was no way she could really talk to him about what had happened. Dean was his partner, his friend. There were just some lines you didn't cross.

She gasped, and then smiled, as Seth's hand tightened around hers momentarily. She inched closer to the bed, "Leave it to you to still listen to everyone's problems even when you are unconscious. . . . I am sorry I wasn't here last night. I am glad Caroline stayed with you. .. you know, I think she likes you."

Lydia released his hand and leaned back in h her chair. She watched the rise and fall of his pulse as she pondered her situation.

"Could we talk for a minute?"

She turned her gaze toward the man in the doorway and frowned, "I'm sorry. I don't think we have much to talk about."

Detective Farrelly crossed the room and stood on the other side of the bed. "It will only take a moment, please?"

Lydia sighed and stood up. "Fine." She led the way out of the room and down the hall to a small alcove with plants and seats. She leaned against the cool pane of the floor to ceiling window and crossed her arms, "What can I do for you detective. I'm afraid there is not much I can do to help you with your case."

He smirked, "Well, actually Miss Rollins, I am here on a more _personal_ level. "

Lydia frowned in confusion, "Do you have information about my brother's case?"

He shook his head, "No, unfortunately I do not."

"Then I am confused. What else would you want to discuss with me?"

"I came to see if you would like to go to dinner with me?" He gave her a charming smile.

"Dinner?" Lydia repeated, dumbstruck.

He nodded, "I know it is kind of spur of the moment but –"

Lydia raised her hand and he fell silent. "I'm sorry detective. I am sure you are a great guy and everything but, I need to be here with my brother right now. I hope you understand."

Stephen nodded, "Of course. Maybe another time. Thank you for your time. I really should be getting back to the station." He smiled politely.

But she couldn't help but notice a glint of disappointment in his eyes.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Ebony sat alone in her office. Her meeting had just ended and she was supposed to be organizing her calendar for the rest of the week.

 _Except she hadn't planned a single thing. . ._

She couldn't get a certain raven haired man, and the words he had spoken to her earlier that day, out of her mind.

 _What you think I am going to snort it or something? Don't worry . . . I don't do coke._

Ebony pulled out his file and glanced at the offense listed on his record.

Possession of a Controlled Substance: Powder Cocaine

She frowned and closed the file. Obviously he was arrested for possession of cocaine. So he must have used it at some point. Unless he meant he didn't snort cocaine anymore because he quit? If it was a part of his past of course people would be suspicious… and he would know that she had the information about what he was arrested for.

He had looked so hurt though.

She sat down at her desk, picked up the small business card, and grabbed her phone.

Something was not adding up and she was going to get to the bottom of it but, first she had a call to make.

She typed in the number and hit send before her nerves could get the better of her. She tapped her nails anxiously on the desk as the phone rang, once, twice, three times, before he picked up.

"Hello. This is Detective Farrelly." He had a thick accent. English? Irish?

"Hello, I was calling with a tip on one of your cases." She said. "I heard from a reliable source that they saw Detective Dean Ambrose doing drugs this morning."

"Is that so? What kind of drugs ma'am?" She could hear the scratching of pen on paper.

"Cocaine."

"And may I have your name Miss."

"I would rather remain anonymous, detective. There are personal reasons I do not want to be involved."

"Okay." She could hear the disappointment in his voice. "Thank you for your assistance ma'am."

"Have a good day, detective." She hung up the phone and dropped it onto her desk. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, praying she made the right call.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman pounded on the door. He heard the footfalls of the man on the other side and bit back the urge to just barge through the door. He needed to keep his cool.

The door swung open and Dean leaned against the doorframe. He looked a mess, his hair disheveled, as if he had continuously ran his fingers through it and tugged at the ends. His eyes were dark and swollen and his knuckles were bruised and bleeding.

"Well, you're the last person I would expect to see here."

"We need to talk Ambrose." Roman pushed passed him and stepped into the apartment.

Dean laughed bitterly and slammed the door shut, "Why would a good boy like you want to talk to a low life like me?"

Roman ignored his comment. He looked around the small apartment and frowned. The coffee table was flipped over and there were broken bottles, glasses and papers scattered across the floor. A half-drank bottle of beer sat on the floor next to several empty bottles. There were two large holes in the wall by the doorway and the fresh dust and drywall on the furniture and floor indicated that they were new. For a moment, a twinge of sympathy radiated through him.

Then he remembered what his friend had done and he turned to face him.

"We are going to talk about Lydia."

"Well, I'm not much for giving dating advice but, I'll be honest with you buddy. . . I don't think she's gonna get with an ex con. So I wouldn't get my hopes up." Dean crossed the room and flopped down on the couch and picked up his beer. He took a long swig and leaned back against the dark leather. "I'd offer you one but, I guess that would violate your parole, right?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "When did you become such a dick?"

Dean shrugged and continued to nurse his drink.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You know what." Roman's patience was wearing thin. "Why did you put the drugs in Lydia's bag?"

"Because that rat was here and I wasn't about to get busted with them."

"So you figured you would just dump them off Dia? What if the detective had asked to check her bag? What if she had let him? She could have been arrested Dean."

"There was no way he was going to check her bag. I kept him busy. He didn't even pay her a second glance."

"He knows she was here. He probably assumes you are in a relationship. Girlfriends help their boyfriends all the time. You've probably made her a suspect."

"Roman, chill out. He isn't going to bother Lydia."

"You don't know that."

"Yea, I do. I made it very clear to him that he needs to leave her alone."

"So he has already said that she is a suspect?" Roman felt his temper rising.

"I told him to leave her alone." Dean repeated.

"Okay, let's say he listens to you and he leaves Lydia alone. What if she had been pulled over? What if she had been caught with them? How do you think Seth would feel if he woke up to find out his sister had been arrested?"

"She wasn't arrested." Dean polished off his beer and dropped the empty bottle with the small collection at his feet.

"But she could have been and it would have been your fault."

"I would have gotten her out of it. I wouldn't let Lydia go down for me"

"It's easy to say that now." Roman knew about the feelings that Dean had for Lydia and he wanted to believe him. He really wanted to; but, it was impossible. If he had any regard for Lydia's safety he wouldn't have dropped those drugs into her bag in the first place. "Dean, you put Lydia in a really dangerous situation. You could have ruined everything for her. She could have gone to prison and you don't even care. Anything could have happened and it would have been your fault. You got lucky this time but, you aren't going to be lucky forever."

Dean stood up, eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me, Reigns?"

"No but, I'm going to give you some advice. If you care as much about Lydia as I think you do, stay away from her. Get yourself together. Make things right and then _maybe; just maybe_ you might be able to win back her trust. Not that you deserve it."

Roman turned and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door in his wake.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

It had been a quiet day. Ebony had stopped by after she left her office but hadn't stayed long. She wanted to get as many home visits done as she could. She was interning at the DA's office on top of her parole duties. Lydia was just grateful that her friend gave up so much of the little free time she had to come to the hospital.

"Hey, do you mind if I join ya?"

Lydia turned around. She had to admit, she was surprised to see him so soon. She nodded and he crossed the room and took the seat beside her.

"I figured even if you couldn't go out you'd still have to eat right?" Stephen Farrelly smiled and held up a paper bag. "So I figured I could bring the dinner to you?"

"You are persistent." Lydia smiled. "Lucky for you I haven't eaten yet and I am starving."

"I take it that means I can stay and we can talk?"

Lydia laughed, "Yes, you can stay and we can talk."

Stephen smiled and opened up the bag. He pulled out two Styrofoam containers and handed her one. "I figured Italian was probably a safe way to go."

"Absolutely. Thank you." She popped open the container and inhaled the decilious scent of garlic and onion. "It smells amazing."

"There is this great restaurant in White Chapel. . they have the best spaghetti. . ."

Lydia sat the container in her lap and held up a hand to silence him, "Hold up. You are telling me you drove 30 minutes to get our dinner."

Stephen nodded, "I wanted to make sure I brought you something nice."

Lydia smiled and took the fork he held out to her. What kind of a man drives to the next city over just to bring a nice dinner? There were tons of restaurants and diners across the city but he took the time to go to one that he knew would be good. She looked down at the chicken parmesan as he opened his own container.

"Thank you for this Detective." She smiled and took a bite of the food.

"Please, call me Stephen."

She nodded, "Well, it is delicious Stephen. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled and ate some of his own dinner. "Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"

"There is not much to tell. I own an organic market which keeps me busy. I am close with my brother, our parents died when we were young."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you. What about you? What is your story?"

"I worked homicide for ten years, caught my fair share of killers. One day I woke up and realized I couldn't see that kind of brutality anymore. I was offered a spot in Internal Affairs and took it. I have a little sister who still lives in Ireland near my parents. I go back three times a year to visit."

"I bet it is beautiful over there."

"It is." He nodded, "I love my home here though." He smiled. "There are a lot of beautiful things in America as well."

Lydia smiled and continued to eat her food. She was surprised to find herself thankful for the detective's company. He was actually rather kind. "I wanted to be a police officer too, just like Seth. But I quickly realized it wasn't for me. I love my store and all of the people I get to meet working there."

"I will have to stop in."

"We even carry a few lines of organic pet products." Lydia smiled.

"Really? I'm guessing you like animals?"

"Very much. My roommate and I have a cat and a dog. Smokey and Celeste."

"Cute." He smirked. "I have a dog, a terrier. He is seven."

"I bet he is adorable."

Stephen nodded, "Thank you."

Lydia turned her attention back to her dinner. It was nice to have someone to talk to, something to keep her mind off of everything that had happened that morning. She was grateful that Stephen had been so persistent. She really was having a lovely time.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Dean tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. What _had_ he been thinking? Roman was right. He could have gotten Lydia into a lot of trouble. It was never his intention but, it could have happened. He was so wrapped up in himself, in his own little plan, that he failed to see the risks. He was overly confident. He was begging to be fail.

He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't lose everything. He couldn't lose his job. He couldn't lose his friends. He couldn't lose her.

He pulled into the first empty space in the parking lot and cut the engine. He grabbed a cigarette out of the pack in his council and lit it. He inhaled deeply and blew the smoke out slowly. What was he going to say to her? How can you apologize for being so stupid? What if she wouldn't forgive him?

No, Lydia was a good person, a kind person. She would forgive him. There was no way she wouldn't forgive him. It wasn't in her nature.

He got out of the car and puffed his cigarette as he crossed the crowded parking lot. He stood in front of the sliding glass doors as he took his final hit. He dropped it the cigarette butt into the dirty ashtray on top of the garbage can and ducked into the hospital.

He walked down the hall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. He ignored the stares of everyone he passed, knowing the were staring at his exposed badge and gun. He got to the elevator and pushed the up button firmly. He tapped his foot as he waited for the shiny metal doors to slide open.

He sighed with relief when he stepped into the empty elevator and hit the large number 3 on the panel. He smoothed out his ruffled curls as he rode in silence to the third floor.

The elevator doors slid open with a hearty _ding_ and he stepped out into the busy hallway. He walked to the third-to-last room on the left and stood outside the open door. He inhaled deeply and turned to go inside when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"So you like hiking and swimming but, you don't go biking. " Stephen asked.

"I'd much rather walk and enjoy the scenery." Lydia said. "Maybe take some pictures."

"So you like photography."

"I like pretty much anything that has to do with art. But I especially like music and photography."

"What kind of music?" The Irishman prodded.

"Any kind really but I especially enjoy rock music, like Seth."

"I have tickets to a concert next week. My sister was supposed to fly in but she can't make it. Maybe you would like to go with me?

Dean clenched and unclenched his fists.

How _dare_ that rat ask Lydia out?

"I'll have to see how Seth is but, honestly. I'd like that very much."

Dean closed his eyes. How could Lydia agree to go out with him? How could she go out with the man who was investigating him?

"Great. I should get going but, maybe I can come by and see you and your brother tomorrow."

"Okay. Thank you for brining me dinner. I had a nice time."

How could she be flirting with him?

Dean clenched his fists so tight he dug his nails into the flesh of his palms. Fighting the urge to drive his fist through the wall, he walked away; head bowed… and pressed the button for the elevator.

* * *

 **thank you to everyone who voted in the poll on my profile; if you haven't voted yet... please do :)**

 **also, thank you to everyone who read this chapter and who will/has taken the time to review, follow and favorite.**

 **you are all amazing.**

 **-Danie.**


	12. Chapter 12

**an.** Sorry for the delay. Things have been so hectic around here. Thank you for all of the follows, favorites and reviews.  
 **an. 2.0.** I am really sorry this sat so long without an update. There was a death in the family in September and things are just starting to get back to normal. I hope everyone is still interested in this story.  
 **disclaimer.** Yea, I don't own Seth, Dean, Sheamus or Roman, unfortunately.

* * *

 **How to Fix A Heart  
** _Good News_ **  
**

* * *

"It's really not that bad once you learn where everything is. You'll get used to it."

Roman nodded as he carried the large plastic tote out onto the sales floor. He had just spent the last hour and a half going over the inventory codes with the other stock boy at _Viva a Verde_.

"Since you work during the day for now you will mostly be doing maintenance and stocking produce and the coolers as the vendors bring the merchandise in."

Everything sounded simple enough. Once he had all of the codes and the store areas memorized he was sure everything would go smoothly. He carried the tote of organic coconut flour to the baking aisle and sat it down. "Thank you, Brian."

"No problem. I'm just happy Nat and Lydia found someone so soon. It was a pain working doubles – My wife is two weeks overdue. I hate being the only one working because we never know when the baby is going to decide to come."

Roman smiled as he pried open the tote and began stocking the flour on the top shelf. "Congratulations. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Girl. We are going to name her Rosie." Brian said as he began to stock flour as well.

"Cute name."

"Thanks. Rose was my wife's grandmother's name. We are going to give her the middle name Marie, after my mother."

"Rose Marie. That's beautiful." Roman smiled as he stacked the last container of coconut flour.

"Thanks. Come on. The produce vendor will be here any minute. I better show you where everything goes."

Roman nodded and followed him to the corner of the store, very aware that Natalie was staring, watching every move he made.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

"What do you got?" The captain asked Stephen as he entered the small, tidy office. He had already called and told the captain he had an update on Detective Dean Ambrose. He had been ordered to meet him right away to discuss the new details on the case.

Stephen took a seat in one of the two leather chairs opposite the captain's desk. "I got an anonymous call about your detective today. According to the young woman I spoke to she heard from a good source that your detective is using cocaine."

"So the cocaine the informant saw him buying was most likely for personal use?"

Stephen nodded, "I'll have to investigate further to be certain but, that is what it seems."

The captain leaned back in his chair, "Good, keep on investigating, if that is true then this might be a matter we can settle internally."

"Yes sir." Stephen stood up. "I will let you know when I have any more information.

"Thank you."

Stephen nodded again before crossing the room and exiting the tiny office. He glanced at his watch; 11:30 AM. He was supposed to visit Lydia at the hospital later that day. In the meantime he could try to dig up some more information on Detective Ambrose.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Caroline sat alone in her office, grateful for the quiet. She hadn't heard any news about Seth or the case. She knew the first suspect had an alibi. Detective Ambrose had stopped in earlier for phone records. He had been in quite a mood – even more so than usual.

"Miss "

Caroline looked up from the file she was updating. A handsome man with red hair in an impeccable suit stood in the doorway. "Yes."

"I was hoping you could help me with something."

Caroline eyed him for a moment. She had seen him around the station lately but, she did not know his name. She blushed slightly when he flashed his badge. "What can I do for you detective?"

"I was hoping you could get some bank and phone records for me." He had a thick accent.

Caroline nodded, "Absolutely."

"Fantastic." He crossed the room and stood beside her. "Could you pull up Dean Ambrose's bank statements and phone records for the last 12 months?"

Caroline froze. "Detective Ambrose?" She frowned, "Why would you want those?"

The detective leaned forward on the desk, "I need them for an ongoing investigation."

She continued to frown but nodded and opened up the database. A few short minutes later she had the retrieved all of the information needed for his investigation.

"You are as good as they say." He smiled. "It would have taken me all day to get these myself."

Caroline smiled, unsure of how to respond. "I'm just doing my job." She finally said. "What are you looking for."

"Any large withdrawals and any unusual phone numbers that appear multiple times."

Caroline began to type. "Well it seems he mostly just pays his bills. Phone bill, cable bill, car insurance. He does have quite a few 200 dollar withdrawals; about five a month, but never any higher."

The detective nodded, "He is clever. " He said it more to himself than to Caroline so she didn't respond. What kind of trouble could Detective Ambrose be in? Is that what had caused his bad mood earlier? "How about those phone records? "

Caroline pulled up the phone records "One is Detective Rollin's number. That makes sense. One is for a Samantha Ambrose; that must be his sister. Then there is this number." She pulled up the phone number. "He called it twice a week for the last 6 months. It is registered to the Motel on 5th street."

"Can you give me all of the information for that number please? I would like to speak to them."

"Yes sir." She started typing again.

"It's Stephen, please."

Caroline nodded and printed off the information on the hotel. "If you plan on heading there I'd take someone with you. It's kind of shady part of town."

Stephen smiled and took the print outs. "Thanks you but, I think I can handle it. You have been very helpful."

Caroline watched as Stephen left the office. She closed out all of the information on the computer. She couldn't help but feel like she had just done something wrong.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

It had been a slow afternoon. The nurses had come in an out several times, checking on her brother. They seemed pleased with his progress. Ebony had come in a few hours ago to visit but, was currently on the phone with the DA, leaving Lydia to her own devices. She ran her finger down the screen of her smartphone, highlighting the most recent word she had found on her word search. _Thank God for free game apps.  
_

"Hey there; how is he doing?" Roman entered the room, caring two large coffee cups. He stopped at the sight of Ebony, who was had just shoved her phone into her large leather tote with an indignant huff. "I didn't realize you were going to be here." He said as he took a seat on the window sill. "I only brought two coffees, one is black if you want it. I'm sure they have stuff here you can add to it."

"That's okay. I have to leave anyway." Ebony said politely.

Lydia looked between her two friends and frowned. There was definitely tension. Ebony gripped her hand bag tightly and spun around to face her. "I am sorry Dia. I have to go back to the office. I will stop by a little bit later though."

"It's okay Eb. Don't worry. I understand. Ro will keep me company for a while, won't you?"

"Absolutely." Roman smiled.

"Good, I am glad to hear it." Ebony said the words but, the slight frown and furrowing of her brow suggested she didn't really mean them. "Roman, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Roman looked surprised but nodded and jumped down from his perch on the window's ledge. "Sure." Lydia watched, frowning, as Ebony and Roman disappeared into the hallway. _What was going on with those two?_

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Ebony led the way into the hall. Roman followed carrying his coffee. He leaned against the wall and took a drink from the cardboard cup before speaking, "What do you want to talk to me about? Does it have anything to do with my Parole?"

"No, no. Although I will be doing a check in the next week or two. I actually wanted to know how it went with Dean this morning."

Roman grunted and took another sip of his coffee. "I told him to leave Lydia alone for a while and to get his act together before he loses everything." Roman sighed, "You should have seen him; he was a mess."

"Do you think he'll listen?"

"No idea. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to Lydia."

"I know you won't." There was an ebb of disappointed in her voice that caught Roman's attention immediately. He opened his mouth to speak but she held up a hand. "I really got to go. Thank you for staying with Lydia and taking care of her. I hope Seth wakes up soon. This has been really hard on her. Tell her I'll be back in a few hours."

With that she turned on her heel and made her way toward the elevators. She glanced back at him before the doors slid shut and he could have sworn he saw a glint of sadness in her eyes.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

"What was that all about?" Lydia asked as Roman reentered the room. She had her cup of coffee clutched tightly between her hands. Roman crossed the room and dropped down in the seat next to her.

"It was nothing. She just had a question for me. She said she would be back in a few hours." Roman took a sip of his coffee then sat it on the bedside table. "Have the doctors been in recently?"

"About an hour ago. They are all very optimistic. They think he is going to fully wake up soon. He was moving quite a bit earlier." Lydia smiled. She turned in her seat, sitting cross-legged, so she could face him. "How was your first day at work?"

"It was good. Brian was great at training. I think I am going to like it."

Lydia smiled and patted his hand. "Fantastic. I am glad you didn't hate it. Although you are so nice you would probably lie to me just to make me happy."

Roman chuckled, "I'm not lying. I think Brian and I are going to get along great."

"And Nattie? I am sure she was happy with how hard you worked."

Roman didn't respond. Instead he reached over and grabbed his coffee cup, taking a long drink and then leaning back in his chair. "I am sure she is missing you keeping that place together."

"She calls me if she needs anything." Lydia shrugged. "Thank you for the coffee."

"No problem."

Lydia and Roman sat in silence for a moment. "Detective Farrelly is going to stop by later. . ." Lydia said.

"Are you going to tell him about Dean?"

"What! No. He isn't coming to talk about the case . . . He is coming to see me." The brunette blushed. "He, uhm, brought me dinner last night."

Roman frowned. "That is nice of him."

"What's the matter?" Lydia asked. "He is very nice. He actually invited me to a concert but, I told him I would have to wait and see how Seth is doing. He is the most important thing right now." Lydia was confused by Roman's reaction. She thought that he would be happy for her. _What could possibly bother him about her eating dinner with Detective Farrelly?_

Roman nodded and finished off his coffee. He tossed the empty cup into the garbage can. He seemed to be toying with an idea in his mind. He bit his lip and raked his fingers through his hair. He opened his mouth to say something but, she hushed him.

"Roman. . . Dean and I . . . we weren't." She couldn't believe she hadn't thought about how this would look. "I know it looked like we were spending a lot of time together but . . .we are just friends. I wouldn't do anything to hurt him, not like - -"

"It's not that." Roman interrupted. "I know you wouldn't two time anyone or rush into anything. I just want you to be careful. You barely know that Detective. I just don't want to see you get hurt. . ."

Lydia smiled and grabbed Roman's hand, squeezing it gently before letting it go. "Thanks Roman. I will be."

He smiled, "Okay."

The comfortable silence returned and Lydia grabbed her phone to check it. No messages from Ebony. Roman had turned his attention to a fitness magazine Lydia had brought along to read. She swiped her finger across the phone and checked her email. She had three new messages from Natalie about work but, nothing that couldn't wait until later.

They both turned as Seth let out a low groan. Lydia dropped her phone onto the chair and rushed over to the bed. She grabbed Seth's hand gently. "Seth, Seth can you hear me?" She asked, squeezing his hand gently.

Roman stood beside her, leaning forward to look at his friend.

Seth's eyes fluttered open as he clutched her hand, "Dia?"

Lydia smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she grabbed the buzzer to the nurse's station and pressed it. "Seth, you're awake." She smiled and brushed some hair out of his face.

He glanced around the room, eyes heavy. His eyes fell on Roman and he smiled slightly, "Roman?" He mumbled. "What is going on?" He looked at Lydia with confusion.

"Shhh. You're fine. The nurses are coming." She fought back the tears that so desperately wanted to fall. Her brother was obviously confused and disoriented. She didn't want to cause him any stress by being a complete emotional wreck.

"Yes?" A nurse entered the room, her long blonde hair pinned up in a pony-tail.

"We need the doctor, _he's awake._ " Lydia smiled.

* * *

 **an**. I was originally going to make this chapter longer but how about we end it on a happy note? I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I really apologize it took so long for me to get it published. You guys are all amazing, thank you for all of the reviews, favorites and follows.

-Danie


	13. Chapter 13

**an.** I am sorry it took so long for me to get this update out. Now that it is summer I should have some more time to write. I hope you are all interested in this story still, seeing it is still my favorite to write.  
 **disclaimer.** I am in no way affiliated with the WWE, please do not sue me.

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _Tension_

* * *

Ebony dropped her purse on her desk and sat down in the black leather office chair behind her desk. She inhaled deeply. There was more to what was going on with Seth, Dean, Lydia and Roman and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

She grabbed her file on Roman and pulled out the official police report. She leaned back in her chair and began to read the officer's statement.

 _The suspect was returning home from a professional baseball game. It was ten – twenty seven P.M. when I saw the vehicle moving, at an accelerated rate, down interstate 90. I immediately turned on my sirens and began pursuit. The vehicle pulled to the side of the interstate and I approached the vehicle. I addressed the driver of the car, Dean Ambrose, and could smell what I believed to be alcohol on his breath. I ran his license and registration but, both came back without any marks. I returned and asked him and his passenger, (the suspect) Roman Reigns to step out of the vehicle. They both denied having any weapons. After a pat-down and breathalyzer on Dean Ambrose I turned to the suspect. During the pat-down search I found a bag of powder Cocaine. When I asked Mr. Reigns where he had gotten the cocaine he told me he had purchased it at the game without telling his friend. I placed both Mr. Ambrose and Mr. Reigns under arrest. Mr. Ambrose was charged with driving under the influence while Mr. Reigns was charged with procession of a controlled substance._

Ebony dropped the paper on her desk and sighed. She leaned forward resting her head in her hands. _Of course, it all made sense now. Why hadn't she seen it before?_

She knew exactly what happened that night. Why hadn't she done a more thorough reading of the report? She would have realized what had happened a lot sooner.

But, what good was it going to do? She could not overturn a conviction – besides Roman was already out of prison. What good would it do him now? It would not give him back the last five and half years of his life.

Still, she felt the need to confront him, to understand. _Why did he do it?_

She grabbed her cell phone out of her bag and dialed his number. She would call him in for a meeting tomorrow. Then she could ask him exactly what happened that night and why he chose to lie to the arresting officer.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman and Lydia had been ushered out of the room as soon as the doctor arrived to check on Seth. Lydia leaned against the wall, finally allowing the tears to fall. Roman smiled and gently squeezed her shoulder, "It's all going to be alright now." He said.

"I know. I am just so relieved." She inhaled deeply, wiping away the tears that remained on her cheeks and eyes. She smiled "I have to call Ebony. She needs to know." Lydia dug her phone out of her bag then frowned, "I should call Dean too."

Roman rubbed her arm gently, "Do you want me to call him?"

"No. I can do it. Thank you though Roman."

"Well how about I call Ebony for you?" Roman offered. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and walked toward the solarium at the end of the hall.

Lydia sighed and dialed Dean's number. She leaned against the wall as she held her mobile phone against her ear. It rang only once before he answered, "Lydia – hi – I wasn't expecting - - -"

"I didn't call to talk Dean. I wanted to tell you that Seth is awake. I figured you would want to come and see him."

"He is? That is fantastic. I will be up soon." He said.

"Okay Dean. I need to go but, I am sure he will be happy to see you." She didn't wait for him to respond before disconnecting the call. She tucked the phone back into her pocket and leaned against the wall. Seth was awake – she could handle Ambrose another time.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman pulled Ebony's business card out of his wallet and slid his finger across the lock screen. He was about to dial her cell number when it flashed across the screen. He hit the answer button, "Speak of the devil."

"Excuse me?" Ebony sounded surprised.

"I am sorry – I didn't mean - - - I just meant I was getting ready to call you."

"Is something wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"No, no. Actually I was calling to tell you that Seth just woke up. The doctors are checking on him now."

"That is _wonderful!_ I will stop by as soon as I am done with meeting. It shouldn't take very long."

"Okay. I will let Lydia know."

"Thanks Roman." He could almost picture her smiling, her long black hair farming her beautiful face. "Oh and Roman?"

"Yea?"

"Is there any way you could stop by my office tomorrow. There is something I would like to discuss with you."

"Oh yea. I can come by around 9, before I got work. Is that okay?"

"That is fine. I will make sure I write you on the schedule. I have to go; the meeting is going to start in just a few minutes. I will be by the hospital right after." With that she ended the call.

Roman frowned as he tucked the cell phone into the pocket of his black cargo pants. What had he done to warrant a meeting with his parole officer?

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Roman returned a few minutes later. He was frowning and looked tense. He leaned against the wall and sighed. "Is everything okay?" Lydia asked.

"Yea. I just have to meet with my parole officer in the morning and I don't know what it is about."

"I am sure it is no big deal; probably just some paperwork or something. Don't stress yourself out over it. You haven't done anything."

"I know but, that doesn't mean anything, Lydia. What if they think I have?"

"Well they can't do anything without evidence and, seeing you haven't done anything, there is no evidence, right?"

Roman knew it wasn't that simple but, he nodded, "Okay. You're probably right. Did you talk to Ambrose?"

"Yea he said he was going to stop by and see Seth."

"Will you be okay if he does?"

"I'll be fine." Lydia leaned against the wall. "The only thing that matters right now is Seth."

Roman nodded. "Yea, you're right. The Ambrose situation can be dealt with later."

A brunette nurse approached them and told them they could go back into the room. Roman followed Lydia inside and took the seat farthest from the bed. Lydia pulled a chair up beside Seth and took his hand as the doctor finished writing. He dropped the clip board into the holder at the foot of the bed.

"Well Mr. Rollins. I would say you are doing infection is almost gone. We will send you tomorrow for mobility testing but, I believe you are going to make a full recovery with time."

"Thank you" Lydia smiled. The doctor nodded and left.

"Well that is great news." Roman said.

"I am so glad you are awake." Lydia smiled brightly and squeezed Seth's hand gently before letting go.

"I'm sorry to put you guys through that." Seth looked at Roman and frowned, "And I am sorry I wasn't there for you when you got out."

"Don't worry man. I am just glad you are okay. Just worry about getting better."

Seth nodded. He looked drowsy but, smiled. "I'll be out of here in no time."

Roman chuckled. "I have no doubt." He leaned back in his chair.

Seth turned his head to look at Lydia, "Sis, was Caroline here?"

She nodded. "You remember her talking to you?"

"Yea. I remember hearing you too, and Roman and Ambrose, but, I didn't know if I was dreaming it."

Lydia glanced back at Roman who shifted in his chair and ran his hand through his hair before smirking, "You dream about that IT girl a lot bro?"

"I was out of it," Seth retorted but, his blush gave him away.

"Speaking of, I should call the station. She will be happy to know you are awake. She was very worried about you." Lydia stood up and got out her phone.

"3519."

"What?" Lydia asked.

"Her extension at the station is 3519" Seth said quietly as he closed his eyes.

"Okay. I'll be right back. I will let her know you are alright."

"I will keep an eye on him." Roman whispered.

"Thanks" Lydia mimed as she exited the room.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Caroline typed quickly, sifting through phone records for Detective Farrelly. She was so focused; she jumped when the phone rang. She grabbed it off the receiver with shaking hands.

"This is Caroline Blake." She said, resting the telephone against her shoulder as she continued to type.

"Caroline, it's Lydia."

"Lydia?" Caroline was surprised Lydia was calling her. Then a sudden wave of nausea washed over her. _What if something had happened to Seth?_ "Is everything okay?"

"Yes. I was calling to let you know Seth is awake."

"Really? That is wonderful!" Caroline smiled brightly, turning from her work and leaning back in her chair, "How is he?"

"He is doing well, considering. I am sure he would like to see you – if you have time."

"Oh . . .yea I can stop by after work if that is okay?"

"That is great. I'll tell him. I better get back in there. See you later Caroline."

"Bye." She hung up the phone. Relief flooded her, Seth was awake. He was going to be okay. She glanced at the clock. 3 hours left until shift change.

Lydia said he would be happy to see her.

Had he asked about her?

No, they were friends but, they were not that close.

But, what if….

Caroline frowned, feeling anxious.

There was no way. He was out, in a coma.

But didn't they say that sometimes people in comas remembered what was going on around them.

What if Seth heard her when she confessed her feelings for him?

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Dean paced the length of the elevator. He had messed up and he had no idea how to make it right. Seth and Roman were his only friends, the only people he really trusted.

Lydia, was the only woman he could ever imagine opening up to, telling the whole truth too. He stepped off the elevator when it reached the third floor and found Lydia outside the room – cell phone to her ear. He watched her for a moment, leaning, unnoticed, against the wall. She really was beautiful, with her curtain of mocha curls and wide hazel eyes. She smiled as she said her farewell to the person on the other end of the line.

He approached her slowly as she put her cellphone back in the pocket of her jeans. Her smile faded when she noticed him. He stopped a few feet from her, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Lydia, I want to apologize."

She didn't respond. She just stared at him, her pretty pink lips set in a fine line and her arms crossed over her chest.

The idea that she thought she needed to take such a defensive stance with him bothered him. "Lydia. I never want to hurt you - -"

The brunette scoffed. "You never want to hurt me, Dean? I hate to break it to you, you already have." She rolled her eyes and went to walk past him into the room.

He grabbed her arm gently, "Dia – I'm sorry." He held his grip on her arm "What I did was wrong – I wasn't thinking . . ."

"But you were thinking Dean – It's just you were only thinking about yourself."

"Lydia –"

"No." She cut him off, yanking her arm from his grip. "You are more than welcome to come in and see Seth but, if you are here to talk to me, I have nothing to say to you – and I find it unlikely you have anything to say that will change my mind." With that she turned and walked into the room.

He sighed and followed her inside.

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Seth watched through heavy eyes as Lydia came into the room and flopped down in the chair beside her bed. She looked angry, _really angry._ He was just about to ask what was wrong when Ambrose walked in, smiling.

"Hey buddy. I am glad you're awake. How are you feeling?'

"Sore and pretty tired, but, otherwise okay. Thanks for coming by."

"Like I wouldn't come see you." He stood beside his bed, holding onto the railings. He looked tired, his eyes were dark and his hair was messier than usual.

Seth glanced at Roman and Lydia. Lydia still looked livid, her gaze directed at the floor as she tapped one foot repeatedly on the tile floor. Roman looked uncomfortable. He was leaning back in his chair; one hand on his thigh and the other clutching the arm on the chair.

"What is going on guys?" Seth asked, raising his bed into a seated position. He winced at the added pressure on his abdomen. "Why are you all acting so - - uncomfortable. What happened while I was out."

"Nothing." Dean was a little too quick to answer and Seth eyed him suspiciously.

"It's nothing bro, really. We were all just really stressed and things were kind of hard but, it's fine now." Lydia tried to force a smile. He was actually insulted that she thought he would buy such a fake smile.

"Yea. Like I believe either of you two rats. Roman, what happened?"

Roman glanced up at him. He had been staring, quietly at the floor. He looked uncomfortable and glanced at Lydia, then at Dean, then back at Seth. "I don't know man. I mean I just got here remember? All I know is things are tense. Lydia is right it is probably just stress."

Seth narrowed his eyes. "I really don't appreciate you all lying to me you know. I mean I could have died and the first thing you are going to do is lie to me?"

"Oh come on dude, don't pull that shit. We don't want to stress you out. We all just had a big fight while you were out. A lot of yelling and some words were exchanged. We haven't had time to work it out yet." Ambrose shrugged his shoulders. "We just didn't want to worry you with it. We know how you get all _big brother"_ Dean emphasized his words by making quotation marks with his fingers. Set rolled his eyes but, Dean ignored him and continued, "When we fight so we just wanted to keep you from freaking out over it. You need to worry about getting better."

"Fine." Seth wasn't sure if he believed Dean or not but, decided not to press the issue further with all of them in the room. When he had one of them alone it would be easier to get the information out of them. Especially Lydia, she told him everything.

"Wow, It is quite crowded in here. Maybe I should come back another time." Seth glanced up at the unfamiliar voice. A red-headed man stood in the doorway, carrying a large paper bag, "Aye, look at that, he is awake." He entered the room and smiled.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ambrose instantly stiffened when the man entered the room.

"He is here to see me." Lydia stood up, shooting a dirty look at Dean. "Stephen I am sorry I didn't call you and tell you, with everything going on . . ."

"Don't worry about it. I completely understand."

"I am sorry, I do not mean to interrupt or anything but, who are you?" Seth couldn't hide his sarcasm. The scene playing out before him looked like it belonged in a bad soap opera.

"I am Stephen Farrelly, Detective Stephen Farrellly. I was just coming to keep your sister company while she sat up here with you but, since you are awake I am sure you would want to spend time together. So I will just be going. How about you give me a call later love and we can make another time to meet."

"He is a rat." Ambrose muttered under his breath.

Lydia shot him another dirty look before turning back to the detective, "That would be great Stephen. I am sorry you drove up here just to leave again. I promise I will call you later on."

"Don't worry about it." Stehpen smiled at Lydia, then turned to Seth, "I am glad to see you are awake, Detective." Stephen nodded before leaving.

"I can't believe you." Ambrose muttered, looking at Lydia. His face was red and his fists were clenched at his sides. "I can't fucking believe you."

"Ambrose you need to calm down." Roman said from his chair. He was watching Dean closely, looking rather nervous, like Dean was going to have an outburst and he was waiting to intervene.

Dean took a few deep breaths, unclenching and clenching his fists. He rolled his neck and shook his hands, as if shaking the tension out of his body. "Lydia, can I _please_ talk to you, _alone._ "

Lydia sighed, arms crossed over her chest, but nodded. "Fine." She headed for the door. Seth watched as Ambrose followed her out. He turned his attention to Roman, who was watching the door apprehensively.

 _What was going on with everybody?_

* * *

 **-x-x-x-**

* * *

Lydia leaned against the full length window of the solarium, arms crossed as Dean paced back and forth, wringing his hands.

"Did you bring me here to talk or to watch you pace Ambrose because, to be quite frank, I would much rather spend time with my brother than waste another second with you."

Dean stopped and looked at her and for an instant she felt a twinge of guilt. She had never seen him look so dejected. He swallowed deeply and nodded, "I just want to know how you can do it."

"Do what?"

"How you can spend time with him. How you can agree to go on a date with him…."

"Stephen? A date - - -" Lydia paused. "Wait how did you know Stephen and I. . ." Lydia stood up to her full height, uncrossing her arms and glared at Dean. "Were you spying on us yesterday."

"Spying isn't the word I would use. I came to apologize to you for what I did and he was here and you were talking. How can you like him, Lydia? He is just using you."

Lydia closed her eyes, counting slowly to ten. She had never felt so annoyed. "What I do with my personal life is none of your business. I am sorry if you do not 'approve' Dean but it is really none of your concern."

"He is investigating me, Lydia."

"What's your point?"

"He saw you at my house. He knows you stayed over, I am sure he has put together that we slept together – he probably assumes we are a couple. . ."

Lydia scoffed, rolling her eyes and leaning back against the cool glance again. It was a good contrast for her heated temper.

He ignored her, taking a step closer to her. He took her hand and sighed, "Lydia if he is investigating me and he thinks we are together that makes you a suspect too. That means he is just using you. He just wants to get information out of you. . ."

"Wow." Lydia laughed pulling her hand away.

"What?"

"Just wow." She continued to laugh, spinning on her heel and running her fingers through her hair. "You never cease to amaze me, Dean." She said as she spun back around to face him.

"Lydia – I am just concerned - -"

"No Dean, you're not concerned. You are jealous, jealous and angry and I don't know how to break it to you Dean but, the world does not revolve around you. My _relationships_ do not revolve around you."

She shook her head and pushed past him.

 _Who the hell does Dean Ambrose think he is?_

* * *

 **an**. I think I am going to leave it right there. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are, of course, greatly appreciated, as are follows and favorites. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. -Danie.


	14. Chapter 14

**an.** I have really been looking forward to writing this chapter with this scene between Roman and Ebony. Hopefully it works out the way I have envisioned it in my mind!  
 **disclaimer**. still a crazy cat lady who just wants to get some of these ideas off of my head.

* * *

 **How to Fix a Heart  
** _The Truth_

* * *

Ebony stepped off the elevator just in time to see Lydia storm back into Seth's room and Dean walking out of the solarium, looking rather dejected his hands tucked into his pockets. She adjusted her bag on her shoulder as she approached him. He stopped when she stepped into his path, not bothering to look up at her.

"What's going on?" Ebony asked. She was certain Lydia's mood had to do with Detective Ambrose and it took all of her will power not to simply tell him off right there in front of the nursing station. After everything he had done he deserved it.

He shrugged his shoulders, still not looking up. He bounced from foot to foot nervously. "Pissed Lydia off." He said simply.

"How?" Ebony was struggling to keep her patience. This man had ruined another man's life and could have just as easily ruined Lydia's as well.

Dean looked up at her. He tried to wear a neutral expression but, his eyes gave him away, "I tried to talk to her about Detective Farrelly."

"What about him?" It wasn't what she had been expecting to hear.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "It's nothing. I was just worried about her. Can you do me a favor?"

Ebony debated. Every instinct inside of her told her she should tell him to fuck off. He hadn't bothered to worry about what would happen to Lydia _because_ of him. Still, her mouth betrayed her. "What?"

"Can you keep an eye on her please. I am worried - I don't want to see him hurt her." Dean sighed as he stepped around her and made his way to the elevator. She watched him, too confused to follow him, as he stepped inside.

Once he vanished, she shook her head, bringing herself back to reality and walked into Seth's room. She smiled when she saw him, sitting up and talking to – a much better looking- Lydia.

"Hey Seth." She walked over to the side of the bed. She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm glad you are awake."

Seth smiled at her. "Thanks Eb, and thanks for being here for Lydia."

"I wasn't the only one." Ebony said. "Roman and Dean were quite supportive too." She looked across the room at Roman who was still sitting, quietly, in his chair observing the scene.

"Where is Ambrose anyway?" Seth implored, looking toward the doorway.

"He had an emergency at work." Ebony felt bad lying but she did not want to upset Seth or Lydia. "I am sure he will be back as soon as he can. How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but pretty good considering." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Glad to be awake. I am sorry I worried you all."

"It's not your fault. It's the fault of whoever did this to you and the police are working very hard to find him."

"If anyone is going to find him it will be Ambrose. He won't stop until he does." Seth said firmly. Ebony glanced at Lydia who was frowning but, said nothing.

"I know he has been working very hard when he is not up here with Lydia and Roman." Ebony glanced at Roman who was still sitting in the chair farthest from the bed. His raven hair was disheveled like he had run his fingers through it several times. He looked pensive but, smiled at her. She hated the wave of heat that washed over her as she smiled back. "I should probably get going. I need to get home and let Smokey out. I will come back in the morning though." Ebony patted Seth's hand gently. He looked tired and Ebony knew it would best for her to leave so he could rest.

"Thanks for coming Ebony. I know how busy you are."

"There is no way I wouldn't have found time for you Seth. You and Lydia are like family." Seth smiled at him as she walked over and gave Lydia a hug. "I am just happy you are awake and okay."

"He will be out of here in no time." Lydia hugged her friend goodbye. "I'll text you in a little bit."

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning." She told her friend before she turned and left, making sure to avoid Roman's gaze as she darted past him.

 **-x-x-x-**

Caroline checked her hair and makeup in the rear view mirror before slinging her tote bag over her shoulder and grabbing the arrangement of flowers off of the passenger seat. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing as she walked across the parking lot and through the sliding glass doors of the hospital. She was so happy Seth was awake. She had been worried that the might not make it, given how bad his injuries were.

She walked down the hall, black wedges clicking on the white tile floor. She pressed the up button on the elevator and waited for the silver doors to slide open. She stepped onto the elevator and hit the button for the required floor. She had spent the rest of her workday being nervous about her visit.

She couldn't help but worry. What if he had heard her confess her feelings? What if he didn't reciprocate them and he told her?

Or what if he did have feelings for her and he told her.

Caroline sucked in a breath and let it out as the elevator doors slid open. She stepped out and walked down the hall to Seth's room. She peeked inside to find Lydia and Seth there alone. Lydia waved her in.

"Hi." She smiled brightly as she approached the bed. "I got you these." She held up the arrangement of flowers and Seth smiled. She sat them, and her tote, on the bedside table.

"Great, I can add it to my collection. I think I am going to be able to plant a garden when I get out of here."

Lydia laughed, leaning back in her chair and crossing one leg over the other. She looked much better than Caroline remembered. "Please, you couldn't keep a garden alive if you had an entire nest of gnomes to tend to it for you."

"Gnomes, sis, really? You are such a nerd." He chuckled. He stopped abruptly groaning as he held his stomach. "I have to remember laughing hurts."

"I'm sorry." Caroline offered, holding onto the railing on his bed. She frowned, hating the thought of him in pain.

"Hey, unless you have been robbing convenient stores and shooting police officers by night. I don't think it is your fault." He smirked, resting his hand on the back of hers.

"Still, I feel bad."

"Thanks but I'm okay. How are things at the station?"

"Typical. Although, there is a new detective hanging around."

"Really, I didn't know they were hiring a new detective."

"They didn't. He is internal affairs. His name is Stephen Farrelly he has stopped in my office a few times to have me search stuff for him."

"Farrelly, wasn't that the redheaded guy who was here earlier?" Seth looked at Lydia who nodded. "He is coming to you to look stuff up."

"I didn't know what he was doing at first. I thought it was just a regular case."

Seth nodded, "Don't worry about it. I am sure it will turn out to be nothing."

Caroline nodded feeling better about helping the IA officer. If Seth wasn't mad at her, she was fine. She didn't want to lose his friendship. "Yea, I am sure you are right."

"Caroline when you were here did you read to me?" Seth asked suddenly.

Caroline felt the blush creep up her neck as she nodded, "Yea. Sorry. I don't know why I did that. I didn't think you would remember honestly." She felt her cheeks grow hot. _If he remembered her reading to him what else did he remember?_

"Well I remember bits and piece. Do you think I can borrow it sometime? I'd like to read it."

"Oh sure." Caroline smiled." I actually have it in my bag." She opened her tote and pulled out the book. "It will give you something to do besides watch TV." She sat it on the tray beside his bed. "I think you will really like it."

"Thanks are you sure you don't mind me borrowing it?"

"Not at all, I have so many books at home I need to read."

"Awesome. You are the best Care."

She blushed again, smiling gratefully. "I don't know about that."

"I do"

Lydia smiled knowingly and grabbed her purse off the back of the chair. "I'll be right back I am just going to run downstairs and get a drink. Do you guys want anything."

Caroline shook her head. She didn't want to be alone with Seth at the moment but what could she say to keep Lydia from leaving? She watched as the brunette walked out the door a sweet smile on her face.

"Caroline?"

She turned her attention back to Seth who was watching her attentively. "Yea?"

"I know you know. I can't tell just by the way you are acting.. . ."

Caroline sighed, "You remember?"

"I do. I'm not sure how I do but I remember a lot of what people said to me when I was out."

Caroline nodded, pulling her hands away from the railing and tucking them behind her back to hide that they were shaking. She turned her gaze toward the floor, afraid of what he might say next.

"Don't be nervous. It's okay. . . I like you too."

Her head popped up, eyes wide and mouth agape, "What?"

He started to laugh but stopped himself, "I said; I like you too. You are kind and compassionate and intelligent. Who wouldn't be attracted to that?"

Caroline smiled, "Thanks Seth. You are amazing too. I just figured you could do a lot better than me."

Seth shook his head, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently, "No, You are perfect Caroline Blake."

 **-x-x-x-**

Dean woke up with a headache. He groaned and covered his sensitive eyes, shielding them from the early morning sun. He rolled out of bed, kicking the stray beer bottles on the floor as he got to his feet. _What a night_. He couldn't remember much of anything after he arrived home. He just remembered setting up the line across the kitchen counter and grabbing his first beer out of the refrigerator.

Unfortunately he could still remember everything that happened at the hospital. He sighed, walking to the bathroom and looking in the mirror. His eyes were dark and bloodshot and his hair was a mess. He patted it down with his hands before grabbing his toothbrush. He brushed his teeth then stripped down and got into the shower. The warm water was soothing against his stiff muscles.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and used anther to dry his hair as he walked back into the bedroom. He got dressed in dark jeans and black t-shirt.

After inspecting himself in the mirror and not bothering to brush his unruly hair, he walked to his bed and opened the bedside table. He pulled out the plastic bag of white powder and held it in his hands. He could feel the edge forming. He knew he needed it.

He sighed as he carried it to the bathroom. He once again stood in front of the mirror, holding the bag firmly in his grasp as he leaned against the sink. "What have you done to yourself?" He asked the man looking back at him. _Was this what he had wanted to become_?

He thought of Seth, lying in the hospital, lucky to be alive and it was all because of _him._

He thought about Roman, trying to start over after getting out of prison; getting out of prison after he covered up for _him._

He thought about Detective Farrelly and how if he found any evidence his career, the job he had wanted since he was 7 years old, could be ruined.

Then he thought about Lydia. He thought about the softness of her skin and the warmth of her body. He thought about the way she traced his scars, the feel of her fingers on his back. He thought about the sound of her voice, telling him it wasn't his fault, _even though it was_.

Then he thought about the look in her eyes when she had found him that morning, the despair in her eyes when he told her the truth about Seth. He could still hear the rage in her voice as the words echoed over and over in his mind: _you disgust me._

He deserved it. He deserved everything she had said to him. He deserved worse.

His arms were shaking. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and swallowed, attempting to stop the lump forming in his throat. He hadn't felt the sting of tears in years. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried.

He clutched the baggy tightly in his grip as he looked in the mirror.

"You're pathetic." He looked at his reflection with contempt.

Then he turned and dropped the baggy into the toilet and flushed it away.

 **-x-x-x-**

Ebony typed quickly, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she finished a file for the district attorney. The office was silent except for the steady clicking of the keys and the drizzle of rain outside the window. A knock at the door drew her attention from the file, "Come in." She called, saving the document and shutting her laptop.

She looked up to find Roman Reigns shutting the door behind him. His dark hair was damp, as was his light green _Viva a Verde_ polo. He smiled anxiously as he sat down in one of the chairs opposite her. "Good morning. You wanted to see me."

"Yes. Thanks for coming in. There is something we need to discuss."

Roman sucked in a deep breath and let it out. "Okay. Did I do something wrong?"

Ebony frowned, "No. No, nothing like that. I actually have a question for you."

Roman visibly relaxed. He wet his lips and nodded.

"I want to know what happened the night you were arrested."

She swallowed slowly as his eyes locked onto hers. "You are my parole officer – I am sure you have a police report." Roman leaned back in his chair.

"Of course but, I wanted to hear your side of the story."

"There is not much to tell. Ambrose and I were coming home for a game, we got pulled over, I had drugs on me… that's all."

Ebony watched as he shifted in his chair. He was good, yes, but, not good enough to fool her. She knew she was right.

"Why don't I believe you Mr. Reigns."

"I think you should call me Roman." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he stared at her intently.

"Why don't I believe you, _Roman?"_

He shrugged. "I don't know ma'am because that's how it happened."

She frowned at the word ma'am. "Ebony." She corrected.

"I don't know, _Ebony,_ because that is how it happened." He smirked and her heartbeat fluttered. Why did he have to be so handsome?"

She laced her fingers together, bringing her hands to rest in front of her on her desk. "I'm going to be very blunt with you Roman."

"Please do. I hate false pretenses."

"Do you?" Ebony found herself smiling too. Nothing she had said implied any deception on her part. She was certain it had been a Freudian slip. He knew what she was getting at and she was correct. He had been deceptive himself.

"That is quite ironic seeing you are quite good at deceiving others, am I right?"

"Excuse me?" He looked surprised.

"You are not telling the truth about what happened that night. You did not tell the truth then either, did you Roman?" She watched keenly as he fidgeted once more, his cocky demeanor fading.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you are talking about." He tried to sound confident and failed.

"I think you know exactly what I am talking about. Why did you do it?" She asked, her tone softening. It was the question that had really been bothering her. Why would he choose to go to prison for something he didn't do?

Slowly he stood up and walked the length of the room.

"How did you figure it out?" He asked.

"Honestly I am kind of surprised no one else figured it out sooner. You don't really give off the addict vibe and well, with Lydia catching Ambrose doing cocaine. . . "

Roman nodded slowly, "I am sure you looked at my file and put two and two together."

She watched as he paced the length of her office, head down, shoulders back. He clenched and uncleched his fists as he moved, frowning.

"But why did you do it? I want to know."

He sighed. Slowly he walked around her desk. She stared in surprise as he stood beside her; leaning against the edge of the desk, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. "Easy, I was trying to protect him." He said, his gaze focused on the window behind her desk.

"Protect him?"

"Amborse. . . .well he had it rough. Really rough. It's not my place to talk about it but, I guess it wasn't much of a surprise when he started using pot in high school. I guess I kind of understood it. Then he started using the harder stuff. I knew he shouldn't but, I felt bad. It was kind of an escape for him I guess. All he ever wanted to do was be a cop. He wanted to protect people, people who couldn't protect themselves. So when we were coming home that night and we got pulled over, I made a decision. I knew he had bought a bag of cocaine off of a dealer in the city. I didn't like it but, it wasn't my place to stop him. When Dean knew he had been caught drinking and driving – the cocaine could have been the end of his dream to be a cop. . . I didn't want to see him lose the chance at the thing he wanted most. So I covered for him."

"But what about you? I mean I know Dean was your friend but, why throw away your own future for someone else's bad choice?" Ebony stood up too. She stood beside him and leaned against the desk too, hands clutching the lip of the desk on either side of her hip.

"I wasn't thinking about that. I was just thinking about Dean. He isn't just a friend to me Ebony. He is my little brother. I always did what I could to protect him. It didn't seem like that moment should be any different." He sighed despondently, "The only thing I asked was he get his act together, that he quit."

Ebony watched a droplet of rain as it snaked now the glass. "And when you got out you realized he didn't keep his promise."

Roman nodded solemnly. "Yea, I went to prison for him and he didn't even try to quit." He laughed bitterly. "I am actually really amazed Seth and Lydia never figured out that he was using."

"Some people are good liars." Ebony stood and moved in front of him, blocking his view of the window. "It was a stupid thing you did Roman."

"I would do it again." Roman said, without hesitation. "I love Ambrose like family. I would do anything for family."

Ebony smiled weakly. "You are a good man Roman Reigns."

Roman stood up straight, uncrossing his arms., "Stupid but good?" He smirked and she laughed.

"Yes, exactly."

She gasped as his hand flew to her hip, spinning her around to lean against the desk once more. His lips crashed against hers his other hand cupping her cheek as he kissed her.

She stared at him, wide and panting when he finally pulled away, releasing her from his grip. "I –" She found herself at a loss for words. She wanted to chastise him. What had just happened was completely unacceptable. He was her client. It was unprofessional.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. . ." He whispered.

It felt like a ton of lead was sitting in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want him to be sorry. She wanted him to kiss her again.

"It's just you're so -" he trailed off.

"I'm so what?" Ebony probed, wondering if she would like the answer she received.

"Everything. . . ." He paused, taking a step back. "You're beautiful, you're smart, you're kind, you're understanding. . . There are not very many people like you. You are special."

Ebony's heart began to race. Roman had feelings for her?

"I need to go. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have." He darted out of the room, leaving a speechless Ebony still leaning against her desk.


End file.
